V 


'/ 

r 


.// 


i 


AN  UNEXPECTED  INTERVIEW. 


See  chapter  XX 1 1 


i        THE  LAWYER'S  STORY: 


OR, 


THE    ORPHAN'S    WRONGS. 


A  MEMBER  OF  THE  NEW-TORK  BAR 


NEW   YORK: 
H.    LONG    &    BROTHEK. 

4  8     ANN-STREET. 

CINCINNATI:  H.  B.  PEARSON  A  CO, 
17  EAST  FOUETII-ST. 


ENTEUED,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  Year  One  Thousand  Eitr'ht  Hun- 
dred find  Fifty-three,  by  II.  LONG  &  BROTHER,  in  the  Office  of  tho 
Clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the  Southern  District  of 
Ise\v  York. 


OK, 

THE  ORPHAN'S 

BY  A  MEMBER  OF  THE  NEW-YORK  BAR. 

Xllustv ateO. 


The  publishers  have  great  pleasure  in  introducing  this  work  to  the 
oublic.  As  a  family  novel  it  is  unexceptionable,  while  it  will  be  found 
equally  interesting  and  amusing  by  the  casual  reader.  No  tale  has  ever 
been  written  which  has  attained  greater  popularity  or  been  HK  re  eagerly 
sought  for  while  in  the  course  of  serial  publication.  The  perusal  of  the 
introductory  remarks  will  satisfy  the  reader  that  the  Lawyer's  Story  con- 
tains incident  of  more  than  common  interest 

SOME  time  ago,  the  following  paragraph,  copied  from 
an  English  provincial  newspaper,  appeared  in  the  New 
Y"ork  Sunday  Dispatch,  and  other  journals  of  wide  circu- 
lation : — 

A  MYSTERIOUS  AFFAIR. — We  find  the  following 
curious  story  in  one  of  our  English  exchanges,  and  as  it 
relates  to  a  couple  of  Americans,  we  give  it  a  place : — 
"  The  quiet  little  town  of  Hemmingford  Abbotts,  near 
St.  Ives,  Huntingtonshire,  was  recently  visited  by  a 
young  lady  and  gentleman  from  the  United  States, 


2200579 


IV  PREFACE. 

undot  cir "I? mstances  that  have  created  considerable  ex- 
citement in  the  neighborhood.  The  parties  are  brother 
and  sister,  and  we  believe  are  contestants  for  the  large 
property  known  as  the  Fitzherbert  Manor  Lands,  situ- 
ated in  this  county,  which  estates  have  for  a  long  time 
been  iv  dispute.  As  will  be  recollected,  this  property 
was  formerly  Crown  Land,  and  was  given  by  George  the 
Fourth,  when  Prince  Regent,  to  Herbert  Fitzherbert, 
Esq.,  who  subsequently  went  to  America.  The  right  of 
the  Prince  to  bestow  Crown  Land  was  contested,  and  the 
estate  thrown  into  chancery.  Herbert  Fitzherbert  died, 
we  believe,  in  the  United  States,  and  his  heirs  at  law, 
after  the  decision  of  the  long  contested  suit,  entered  into 
possession  of  the  property.  These  heirs  were  a  son  and 
daughter.  The  arrival  of  the  new  contestants  for  this 
property  created  quite  a  stir  among  the  fashionable  cir- 
cles. So  far,  however,  but  little  has  leaked  out  in  refer- 
ence to  the  real  object  of  our  trans- Atlantic  visitors,  who 
created  the  unusual  stir  in  the  locality  above  indicated. 
One  of  our  reporters  called  at  the  Hotel  at  which  the 
strangers  stopped,  to  gather  the  particulars,  if  possible, 
but  found  the  parties  had  taken  their  departure  very 
mysteriously,  no  one  at  the  hotel  having  the  slightest 
intimation  of  their  business  or  their  present  whereabouts. 
It  is  said,  upon  what  authority  we  know  not,  that  a  dis- 
tinguished attorney  from  London  accompanied  thera, 
and  that  some  parties  were  subpoenaed  to  attend  a  pri- 
vate examination,  but  failed  to  appear,  and  have  not 
since  been  heard  of  by  their  friends.  Altogether  there 
appears  to  be  considerable  mystery  about  this  affair." 

Shortly  afterwards,  a  letter  was  received  by  the  editor 
of  the  Dispatch  from  a  Retired  member  of  the  New  York 


PREFACE.  % 

B:ir,  who  stated  that  he  was  perfectly  acquainted  with 
the  history  of  the  incident  so  mysteriously  alluded  to  in 
the  English  journals,  and  who  is  the  author  of  the  nar- 
rative published  by  the  title  of  the  "Lawyer's  Story," 
or  the  "  Orphan's  Wrongs." 

Few  narratives  have  surpassed  the  Lawyer's  simple 
story  in  the  intense  interest  it  has  excited.  The  atten- 
tion of  the  reader  is  arrested  immediately  upon  com- 
mencing the  first  chapter,  and  once  having  been  com- 
menced, the  tale  is  read  on  with  continually  increasing 
interest  to  its  conclusion. 

The  following  is  the  letter  alluded  to,  in  which  the 
author  gives  permission  to  the  Editor  of  the  Dispatch  to 
publish  the  narrative : — 

To  the  Edi'ar  of  the . 

SIR  : — Noticing  in  the  last  number  of  the  Sunday  Dis- 
patch, a  paragraph  copied  from  a  Huntingtonshire  (Eng- 
land) newspaper,  headed  a  "  Mysterious  Affair,"  in  which 
two  Americans,  brother  and  sister,  are  spoken  of  33 
playing  a  prominent  part,  I  beg  to  inform  you  that  I 
have  had  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  parties  alluded 
to  for  the  last  ten  years,  and  that  I  was  the  first,  person 
to  cause  an  investigation  to  be  made  into  their  claims. 
For  a  short  period  also,  I  was  professionally  engaged  in 
the  case.  I  therefore  can  partially  clear  up  the  "Mys- 
tery "  in  which  the  matter,  according  to  the  reporter  of 
the  English  paper,  is  involved.  If  you  think  proper  I 
give  you  permission  to  publish  the  accompanying  man- 
uscript, containing  the  facts  woven  together  in  the  form 


VI  PREFACE 

of  a  narrative.  I  have  no  interest  in  the  matter  ;  but  as 
will  be  explained,  my  sympathies  were  from  the  first 
naturally  enough  enlisted  in  behalf  of  the  American  con- 
testants, whose  claims  I  considered  indisputable,  and  I 
therefore  watched  every  action  pro  and  con  that  took 
place  regarding  their  cause.  Having  retired  from  active 
practice,  some  six  years  since,  I  have  made  this  case 
my  hobby,  and  have  but  lately  returned  from  Europe, 
where  my  services  have  voluntarily  been  rendered  in  be- 
half of  the  brother  and  sister.  I  am  happy  to  say  that 
the  case  has,  after  an  arduous  struggle,  been  decided  in 
their  favor,  and  that,  so  far  as  I  know,  they  are  now  in 
secure  and  happy  possession  of  the  property  it  was 
sought  to  deprive  them  of.  However,  as  I  presume  you 
will  find  the  narrative  to  contain  sufficient  incident,  and 
to  possess  sufficient  interest  to  justify  its  publication, 
I  will  not  anticipate  the  story.  I  give  you  my  name  in 
order  to  satisfy  you  that  my  statements  are  to  be  relied 
on.;  but  it  is  not  perhaps  necessary  that  you  should 
publish  it,  therefore  I  sign  myself, 

A  KETIRED  MEMBER  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  BAR. 

February  6th,  1853. 

Tbe  Lawyer's  Story  is  published  in  one  volume,  paper  covers,  50  cents, 
or  bound  in  clotb,  75  cents.  Copies  mailed,  on  receipt  of  price,  (post  paid) 
addressed 

H.  LONG  &  BROTHER, 

Publishers,  43  Ann  street,  New  York, 


JJllu0trattons 


I.      LADY   MARY    IN   THE    DRAWING-ROOM   AT   ALTON    CASTLE. 

II.      LADY  MARY   BESEECHING   THE   EARL   TO    FOREGO    HIS    DESIGNS  REGARDING 
HER    MARRIAGE    WITH    LORD    HENRY   FITZHERBERT. 

III.  THE    BROTHER   AND    SISTER   IN   CONVERSATION   AT   MR.   HUGHES'    HOUSE. 

IV.  AN   UNEXPECTED    INTERVIEW. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

In  which  the  reader  is  introduced  to  the  Hero  and  Heroine  of 
the  Story. — A  Newspaper  Advertisement,  and  a  fortunate 
meeting  with  a  former  acquaintance. — A  base  attempt  frus- 
trated.— The  Heroine  of  the  Story  disappears  in  an  unaccount- 
able manner.  .........  7 

CHAPTER  II. 

Every  search  made  for  the  Heroine  is  unsuccessful. — A  letter 
from  Philadelphia  leads  to  a  strange  discovery. — The  rescue 
of  the  Heroine. — Mysterious  explanations  respecting  the  ab- 
duction. ..........  24 

CHAPTER  III. 

In  which  the  reader  is  transported  back  half  a  century,  and  is 
introduced  to  the  acquaintance  of  some  well  known  personages 
of  former  days.  .........  45 

CHAPTER  IV. 

In  which  the  ancestors  of  the  Hero  and  Heroine  are  introduced 
to  the  reader 58 

CHAPTER  V. 

A  Royal  Sensualist  and  a  sad  separation. — A  boyish  resolve  man- 
fully fulfilled. — A  visit  to  England,  and  an  introduction  to  a 
lawyer  of  the  Old  School. — The  doubles  of  the  Hero  and 
Heroine.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .68 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  reader  is  introduced  to  an  Old  Bailey  Lawyer. — Also,  to  a 
Counsellor  of  a  too  common,  but  not  very  reputable  class.  .  91 


yi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  reader  is  introduced  to  Bachelor  Apartments  in  the  Albany, 
and  to  a  Life- Guardsman. —  Unpleasant  intelligence  from 
abroad. — An  Aristocrat  of  the  first  water. — A  slight  igno- 
rance of  Geography. — Foul  play  is  contemplated.  .  99 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Gossip  in  an  English  village. — What  has  become  of  the  Hero 
of  the  Story? 110 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A  Dissertation  npon  Novel  Writing  and  History. — Some  New 
and  not  uninteresting  characters  introduced  to  the  notice  of 
the  reader 115 

CHAPTER  X. 

Several  Persons  of  Consideration  are  Introduced  in  a  Visit  to 
the  "  Cat  and  Bagpipes." — A  Yankee  Lawyer  finds  himself 
in  rather  a  Ludicrous  Situation,  and  is  so  found  by  his  Friend. 
— Some  suspicion  is  aroused  as  to  the  fate  of  the  Hero.  .  124 

CHAPTER  XL 

Alton  Castle. — An  Introduction  to  the  Heiress  of  Alton. — A 
Noble  Maiden's  Soliloquy 134 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Lady  Mary  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Castle. — An  Interview  with 
the  Confessor,  Father  Auselmo. — Good  advice  in  a  matter  of 
extreme  difficulty. — A  Parent's  displeasure 143 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Conversation  between  a  noble  Lord  and  an  ignoble  Lawyer. — 
A  re-introduction  to  the  office  of  the  Jew  Money-lender  in 
the  Minories 155 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  Sea-Lawyer  on  board  her  Majesty's  Ship  Thunderer. — A 
quarter-deck  oration. — A  lady  overboard,  and  a  rescue  from 
peril. — The  heir's  prospects  brighten. — A  startling  discovery.  163 

CHAPTER  XV. 

A  release  from  the  Man-of-war. — The  Hero  is  introduced  to 
some  newly  discovered  relatives. — He  gives  a  novel  illustra- 
tion of  the  old  Press-gang  system 170 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Abduction  of  the  Heroine. — A  little  private  transaction  be- 
tween a  noble  Lord  and  his  Legal  Adviser,  and  a  Lawyer  and 
his  man  of  All  Work 178 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Cheatem  shows  his  practical  benevolence. — A  clever  forgery, 
and  a  slight  altercation  between  two  knaves.  .  .  .  185 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Convent  of  St.  Euphemia. — The  Lady  Abbess  receives  a 
visitor,  who  does  not  appear  to  be  very  welcome.  .  .  .  193 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Cheatem  appears  in  a  new  phase  of  villany. — An  Elopement, 
but  not  to  Gretna  Green 202 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Another  visitor  to  the  Convent  of  St.  Euphemia. — The  Abbess 
takes  charge  of  a  Novice,  whom  she  believes  better  fitted  for 
a  Lunatic  Asylum 209 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  party  visit  the  Convent. — The  unexpected  meeting  of  the 
Brother  and  Sister. — Georgiana  is  released  from  the  Convent. 
— Matters  look  badly  for  the  Conspirators.  ....  219 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Confessor  has  an  interview  with  the  Earl. — Its  results  are 
unsatisfactory. — The  struggles  of  Ambition.  .  .  .  227 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Vague  rumors  afloat. — A  poor  look-out  ahead. — "Hope  springs 
eternal  in  the  human  breast." 233 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
A  man  of  the  world  in  a  desperate  strait 239 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Bad  news  from  abroad. — "  When  rogues  fall  out,"  &c. — Expla- 
nations of  rascally  dealings.  ......  247 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Village  Gossip 855 


yiii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXVII.  PAGE. 

News  from  the  Convent. — The  Confessor's  advice  and  its  re- 
sults  262 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
An  unexpected  arrival 271 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  county  court. — The  trial  and  the  verdict  set  aside. — The 
Earl's  death 276 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

The  return  home. — Preparations  for  travel. — A  serious  discus- 
sion.— Cheatem  preaches  morality. — A  man  of  the  world 
again  in  difficulty. — Matrimony  the  last  resource.  .  .  306 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Private  conversation  between  a  brother  and  sister,  on  matters  of 
an  interesting  and  delicate  nature.  .....  322 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

A  lady's  soliloquy. — An  unexpected  rencontre,  and  an  equally 
unexpected  offer  and  refusal 330 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Confidential  disclosures .         .  342 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  arrival  of  a  stranger  alters  the  aspect  of  affairs. — I  return 
from  my  tour,  and  spend  an  evening  with  my  friends.  .  .  351 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
Conclusion 362 


THE  LAWYER'S  STORY; 

OR, 

THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

In  which  the  reader  is  introduced  to  the  Hero  and  Heroine 
of  the  Story — A  Newspaper  Advertisement  and  a  fortunate 
meeting  with  a  former  acquaintance — A  base  attempt  frus- 
trated— The  Heroine  of  the  Story  disappears  in  an  unac- 
countable manner. 

IN  the  summer  of  1843,  having  an  extraordinary 
quantity  of  deeds  to  copy,  I  engaged  temporarily  an 
extra  copying  clerk,  who  interested  me  considerably,  in 
consequence  of  his  modest,  quiet,  gentlemanly  demeanor 
and  his  intense  application  to  his  duties ;  so  much  so, 
indeed,  that  I  was  sorry  when,  at  the  expiration  of  a  few 
weeks,  the  business  of  my  office  growing  slack,  I  no 
longer  had  occasion  for  his  services ;  neither,  at  the  time, 
did  I  know  of  any  vacancy  that  would  suit  him ;  but  I 
desired  him,  at  all  events,  should  anything  turn  up,  to 
apply  to  me  for  a  recommendation,  assuring  him  that  I 
would  do  all  in  my  power  to  afford  him  assistance. 
While  employed  by  me,  he  had  occasion  once  or  twice, 
to  be  at  my  private  residence  late  in  the  evening ;  and 
on  one  occasion,  my  wife  when  he  was  present,  happen- 


8  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

ing  to  observe  that  she  wished  she  knew  of  some  smart, 
clever  girl  to  assist  her  in  making  up  some  children's 
dresses,  he  modestly  said,  that  he  believed  his  sister  was 
perfectly  competent  to  the  task,  and  would  be  most  happy 
to  embrace  the  opportunity,  for  they  were  both  very  poor 
and  found  great  difficulty  in  getting  along.  My  wife  de- 
sired him  to  bring  her  round  with  him  early  next  morn- 
ing; and  on  her  presenting  herself,  her  appearance  and 
manners  were  so  satisfactory,  that  she  was  immediately 
engaged.  She  was  employed  by  us  for  perhaps  a  fort- 
night, and  during  that  time  she  won  the  favor  of  my  wife 
in  an  equal  degree  that  her  brother  had  mine.  Both  had 
evidently  seen  happier  days;  but  they  were  reserved  as 
regarded  their  past  history ;  and  being  so,  neither  I  nor 
my  wife  pressed  them  upon  what  appeared  to  be  a  dis- 
agreeable subject.  I  must  not  omit  to  mention  that  their 
names  were  respectively  Adolphus  and  Greorgiana  Fitz- 
herbert.  The  young  man  might  have  been  perhaps 
twenty  years  of  age,  and  his  sister  scarcely  sixteen ;  both 
were  good-looking — but  the  young  man's  countenance 
was  shaded  with  constitutional  or  habitual  melancholy — 
I  judged  the  latter;  because  at  times,  when  anything 
deeply  interested  him,  this  expression  disappeared  and 
left  in  its  place  an  earnest  and  winning  smile ;  but  the 
sister  possessed  all  the  grace  and  artlessness  of  a  Hebe. 

After  they  had  quitted  us,  I  heard  no  more  of  them 
until  three  years  had  passed  away.  In  fact,  I  had  en- 
tirely forgotten  them  in  the  multiplicity  of  business,  the 
cares  of  a  family  and  the  duties  of  an  arduous  profession. 

In  the  fall  of  1849  I  had  occasion  to  visit  Philadelphia, 
where  I  put  up  at  Jones'  Hotel.  While  sitting  in  the 
reading-room  the  morning  after  my  arrival,  my  attention 
was  drawn  to  an  advertisement  in  the  columns  of  one  of 
the  morning  papers.  It  ran  thus : 

"INFORMATION  WANTED— OF  ADOLPHUS  AND  GEORGIANS 
1  FITZHERBERT,  brother  and  sister,  children  of  Herbert  and  Elizabeth 
Fitzherbert,  who,  it  is  supposed,  came  to  this  country  from  England,  in  the 
year  1825;  and  subsequently  settled  somewhere  in  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  they  are  supposed  both  to  have  died  in  1830.  If  this  adver- 
tisement should  meet  the  eye  of  both  or  either  of  the  parties  mentioned, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  9 

and  they  will  call  upon  or  make  their  residence  known  to  JAMES  HART- 
LEY, at  the  United  States  Hotel,  Philadelphia,  they  will  hear  of  something 
that  may  accrue  very  much  to  their  advantage.  Any  person  giving  informa- 
tion where  they  or  either  of  them  may  be  found,  or  furnish  satisfactory  proof 
of  their  decease,  will  be  liberally  recompensed  for  their  trouble.  Those  know- 
ing anything  respecting  them,  are  urgently  requested  not  to  withold  it,  as 
the  hereditary  right  of  property  in  England  and  the  United  States,  to  a 
very  large  amount  is  involved  in  the  matter,  and  the  presence  of  the  parties 
may  save  much  litigation. 

Now,  excepting  that  the  wording  of  this  advertisement 
was  a  little  more  earnest  than  usual,  and  that  was  ac- 
counted for  by  the  significant  words,  "  the  hereditary  right 
of  property  in  England  and  the  United  /States,  to  a  very  large 
amount  is  involved  in  the  matter"  there  was  nothing  in  it 
to  perplex  the  mind  of  a  busy  member  of  the  New  York 
bar.  Advertisements  of  a  similar  import  are  very  often 
to  be  found  in  the  columns  of  the  morning  papers  of  half 
the  cities  in  the  Union.  Nevertheless,  I  could  not  get 
this  one  out  of  my  head  the  whole  day.  It  haunted  me 
so  much  as  to  perplex  me  considerably  in  my  business; 
and  yet,  cogitate  as  I  might,  I  could  find  no  reason  for 
it.  When  I  returned  to  the  hotel  in  the  evening,  1  took 
up  the  paper  again  and  referred  to  the  column  which 
contained  it,  and  spelt  it  over  as  if  I  were  personally  in- 
terested in  it.  Whether  it  was  the  rather  uncommon 
names  of  the  parties  advertised,  or  whether  the  large 
property  said  to  be  depending  upon  the  life  or  death  of 
the  parties  mentioned,  and  the  mention  of  the  term  "  liti- 
gation" had  peculiar  charms  to  the  ear  of  a  member  of 
the  legal  profession,  I  can't  say ;  but,  smiling  at  the  con- 
ceit my  mind  had  suggested  to  the  prejudice  of  the  cloth, 
as  regards  their  supposed  cupidity,  I  threw  the  paper 
aside  and  shortly  afterwards  retired  to  my_own  room, 
where  a  night's  rest  banished  the  recollection  of  the 
advertisement  from  my  mind,  and  I  thought  no  more 
about  it.  In  a  few  days  my  business  being  finished,  I 
returned  to  New  York. 

About  a  month  after  my  return  from  Philadelphia,  I 
was  singularly  struck  with  the  features  of  a  young  fe- 
male whom  I  met  while  walking  in  Broadway,  on  my 
way  to  my  place  of  business  from  my  residence  up-town. 


10  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

I  thought  I  recollected  her,  yet  could  not  tell  where  I 
had  met  her  before.  Her  appearance  was  extremely 
lady-like,  but  her  attire,  although  scrupulously  neat  and 
well  fitting,  was  not  of  the  material  worn  by  persons  in 
the  more  wealthy  circles  of  society.  I  should  rather 
have  judged  her  to  be  one  of  the  female  operatives  who 
are  employed  in  great  numbers  in  the  numerous  book- 
binding and  publishing  establishments  located  in  Nassau 
and  Ann  streets,  and  as  I  was  not  personally  acquainted, 
that  I  was  aware  of,  with  any  of  those  industrious  girls, 
I  dismissed  the  subject  from  my  mind,  merely  supposing 
that  the  girl  bore  one  of  those  striking  resemblances  that 
we  sometimes  find  in  the  features  of  strangers,  to  some 
one  whom  we  are  acquainted  with,  or  whom  we  have 
known  at  a  distant  period. 

For  some  days  I  saw  no  more  of  her,  but  shortly  after- 
wards I  was  engaged  in  certain  business  of  importance, 
which  detained  me  to  a  lat^r  hour  than  usual  down  town, 
and  as  I  walked  from  my  office  I  frequently  found  my- 
self almost  hemmed  in  in  Nassau-street  by  the  bevy  of 
fair  operatives  who  were  returning  home  from  their  day's 
labor,  laughing  and  chatting  in  the  full  flow  of  animal 
spirits  which  honest  labor  and  consequent  independence 
is  sure  to  bestow  upon  the  youthful  and  healthful. 
Among  these  girls  I  again  noticed  the  young  female  who 
had  attracted  my  attention  some  days  before  in  Broad- 
way, and  every  time  I  saw  her  I  became  more  and  more 
impressed  with  the  idea  that  I  had  met  with  her  before. 

I  noticed  likewise  a  shade  of  melancholy  resting  upon 
her  fair  delicate  features,  which  made  me  feel  still  more 
interested  in  her,  and  one  evening  meeting  her,  without 
a  companion,  I  made  free  to  accost  her : — 

"  Excuse  me,  Miss,"  said  I,  "  but  I  have  noticed  you 
several  times  passing  up  the  street  opposite  my  office, 
and  your  features  seem  so  familiar  to  me,  that  I  cannot 
believe  that  I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  with 
you  before,  either  at  my  house,  or  at  the  residence  of 
some  of  my  friends  ?" 

The  young  woman  shrunk  back  for  a  moment,  with 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  11 

a  feeling  of  intuitive  delicacy,  on  being  thus  accosted 
by  a  stranger,  but,  recovering  herself,  she  looked  at 
me  earnestly  for  a  moment  and  said : — 

"  Can  it  be  possible  that  this  is  Mr. ?" 

"  It  is,"  replied  I,  as  a  sudden  flash  of  memory  passed 
through  my  mind  and,  I  thought  how  stupid  I  had  been 
not  to  have  recollected  the  young  woman  before,  "  and 
you,"  I  continued,  "  if  I  recollect  aright,  are  the  young 
woman  who  was  engaged  some  two  or  three  years  ago 
by  my  wife  as  a  dress-maker  for  the  children  ?" 

"  I  am,"  she  replied,  "  and  I  have  often  thought  how 
kindly  I  was  then  treated  by  Mrs. " 

"And  what  are  you  doing  now,"  I  asked,  "  if  I  may 
take  the  liberty  of  an  old  acquaintance,  in  thus  ques- 
tioning you?" 

"  I  am  engaged  as  a  book-folder  and  stitcher,"  she  re- 
plied, mentioning  at  the  same  time  the  place  where  she 
worked — a  well  known  establishment  in  that  part  of  the 
city. 

"  Let  me  think.  Had  you  not  a  brother  who  was 
also  employed  for  a  short  time  at  my  office  ?" 

The  young  woman's  countenance  fell  as  she  replied 
in  an  agitated  tone  of  voice  : — 

"  I  had  sir.  Oh,  that  I  knew  where  he  is.  He  left 
me  to  go  to  Boston,  to  accept  a  situation  offered  him 
there,  and  I  have  never  since  heard  of  him,  although  he 
promised  to  write  to  me,  and  I  am  sure  he  would  have 
written  had  he  been  well." 

"Indeed,"  I  replied,  "that  is  a  sad  case.  Have  you 
written  to  him  ?" 

"  Finding  I  received  no  letter  from  Boston  from  him, 
sir,  I  wrote  to  the  gentleman  who  engaged  him,  direct- 
ing the  letter  to  be  left  at  the  Post-office,  for  I  do  not 
know  his  address ;  but  to  that  letter  I  have  received  no 
reply." 

"  What  is  your  brother's  name  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Adolphus  Fitzherbert,  sir." 

"  A  new  light  now  see  ned  to  break  upon  me. 

"  And  your  own  baptismal  name r" 


12  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

"  Is  Georgiana.  sir." 

"By  heaven!"  said  I,  "it  is  the  very  name  men- 
tioned in  the  advertisement  I  read  at  Philadelphia, 
and  now  I  can  perceive  how  it  haunted  me  so  mucht> 
I  had  an  indistinct  recollection  of  the  names,  yet  could 
not  recall  any  circumstances  connected  with  them  to 
my  mind."  So  saying  I  took  out  my  pocket  book, 
for  I  had  had  sufficient  curiosity  to  cut  out  the  ad- 
vertisement, and  to  wafer  it  in  a  spare  leaf  of  the 
book. 

The  young  woman  appeared  to  be  alarmed  at  the 
earnestness  I  displayed ;  but  begging  her  to  calm  her- 
self, I  asked  her  to  read  the  advertisement;  she  did 
so,  though  her  nervous  system  had  been  so  excited 
that  she  trembled  violently. 

"  There  is  nothing  to  be  alarmed  at  in  that  adver- 
tisement, Miss  Fitzherbert,"  said  I,  "  on  the  contrary, 
I  believe  from  its  tenor  it  bodes  good  both  to  you 
and  your  brother;  now  tell  me,  are  the  names  men- 
tioned in  the  advertisement  the  baptismal  names  of  your 
parents?" 

"  They  are,  sir,"  she  replied. 

"  And  they  died  in  Pennsylvania-in  1830  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir.  My  mother  died  in  the  month  of  Janu- 
ary of  that  year,  just  a  week  after  I  was  born,  at 
Reading  in  Pennsylvania,  and  my  father  died  at  the 
same  place,  of  consumption,  in  the  month  of  Novem- 
ber of  the  same  year.  I  never  knew  my  parents,  sir," 
she  added,  while  the  tears  sprang  into  her  eyes. 

"And  were  you  reared  in  Reading?"  I  asked. 

"Yes,  sir, "  she  replied  ;  "a  kind  friend  adopted  and 
educated  us,  but  he  and  his  wife  died  while  we  were 
both  young,  and  since  then  we  have  had  to  buffet  with 
the  world,  and  have  found  the  struggle  arduous  enough ; 
but  my  brother  has  ever  been  more  than  a  brother  to 
me." 

"  Of  that,"  I  said,  '•  from  what  I  have  seen  of  you  both, 
I  can  have  no  doubt.  Now,  will  you  oblige  me  by 
calling  at  my  residence  to-morrow  evening  at  7  o'clock. 


LADY  MARY  IN   THE  DRAWING  ROOM  AT  ALTON  CASTLED 


See  chapter  XI. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  13 

You  know  where  it  is.  I  still  live  where  I  did  when 
you  were  employed  by  my  wife.  Let  me  hear  more  of 
your  story  ;  and,  as  I  am  going  on  business  to  Boston, 
in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  I  will  do  what  I  can  to  find 
out  your  brother." 

The  }roung  woman  thanked  me,  and  promised  to  call 
as  I  requested,  and  I  wished  her  good  evening. 

As  1  walked  home,  it  struck  me  that  possibly  her 
brother's  strange  silence,  might  arise  out  of  some  cause 
connected  with  the  advertisement,  for  I  had  no  doubt 
they  were  the  parties  enquired  after,  and  I  mentioned 
the  circumstances  to  my  wife  in  the  evening.  Her 
curiosity  was  aroused  as  well  as  my  own,  and  I  went 
home  earlier  the  following  evening,  and  waited  with  no 
little  impatience  for  Miss  Fitzherbert's  visit. 

She  came  according  to  appointment,  and  was  recog- 
nized and  kindly  received  by  my  wife,  but  she  seemed 
sadly  cast  down  in  consequence  of  her  brother's  inex- 
plicable silence.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  she  re- 
lated in  a  simple,  straight-forward  and  artless  manner, 
the  history  of  the  joint  adventures  of  her  brother  and 
herself  since  they  had  quitted  our  employment,  as  well 
as  a  brief  outline,  as  much  as  she  knew  herself,  of  her 
father's  and  mother's  history.  Her  father  and  mother 
were  both  English.  Previously  to  the  war  of  1812 — '14 
her  father,  then  a  young  man,  having  some  little  pro- 
perty and  good  expectations,  conceived  the  idea  of  visit- 
ing the  United  States  with  the  simple  object  of  travel 
and  amusement,  natural  to  young  men.  While  travel- 
ling in  this  country,  he  had  purchased  a  considerable 
area  of  land  in  Virginia ;  but  war  ensuing,  he  found 
himself  compelled  to  quit  the  country,  not  having  taken 
out  his  naturalization  papers,  or  even  signified  his  in- 
tention to  do  so  ;  perhaps  having  no  immediate  intention. 
The  consequence  was,  as  the  young  woman  said,  his 
property  was  claimed  by  some  one,  who,  as  her  father 
had  asserted,  had  previously  threatened  to  contest  the 
validity  of  the  title  deeds,  although  to  the  last  he  had 
deemed  his  claims  spurious.  However,  under  the  pecu- 


14  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

liar  circumstances  of  the  case,  the  property  was  lost  to 
him,  and  he  took  no  more  trouble  about  it.  In  1819, 
he  married,  in  England,  a  young  lady  of  great  personal 
attractions  and  amiability  of  disposition,  but,  according 
to  the  notions  of  his  friends,  beneath  him  in  rank, 
although  the  daughter  of  a  poor,  but  worthy  member  of 
the  medical  profession.  His  expectations  were  almost 
altogether  founded  upon  the  good  will  of  wealthy  and 
titled  friends,  who  repudiated  him  after  this  marriage; 
and  disgusted  with  their  aristocratic  notions,  and  having  a 
little  money  of  his  own,  he  determined  to  emigrate  to 
the  United  States  with  his  young  wife,  and  to  make 
America  his  adopted  country.  Accordingly  he  em- 
barked from  England  with  his  slender  stock  of  worldly 
goods  and  landing  at  Philadelphia,  engaged  in  business. 
For  some  time  he  was  successful ;  but  at  length  fortune 
failed  him,  and  selling  off  the  remains  of  his  property,  as 
well  as  his  household  furniture,  he  removed  to  Heading, 
Pennsylvania,  where  both  the  surviving  children  were 
born  ;  and  where  the  eldest  child  born  in  Philadelphia, 
died.  Miss  Fitzherbert,  as  the  reader  is  aware,  had  already 
narrated  the  manner  and  cause  of  her  father  and  mother's 
death,  so  I  need  not  repeat  the  story.  She  then  went  on 
to  relate  what  had  transpired  subsequently  to  my  having 
become  acquainted  with  them  in  New  York.  Having 
a  friend  in  Harrisburgh,  Pennsylvania,  they  had  gore 
thither,  finding  nothing  that  was  likely  to  give  them 
permanent  employment  in  this  city,  and  the  brother  ob- 
tained a  situation  in  this  friend's  counting  house,  and  for 
a  year  or  two  he  managed  to  maintain  his  sister  and 
himself  in  comfort  and  respectability ;  but  the  failure 
of  his  employer  again  cast  him  adrift  in  the  world, 
and  after  lingering  in  Harrisburgh  until  the  little  money 
he  had  managed  to  save  was  almost  expended,  fruit- 
lessly seeking  employment,  he  had  gone  on  to  Phila- 
delphia, where  while  seeking  something  to  do,  he  had 
fallen  in  with  a  gentleman  from  Boston,  who  appeared 
to  be  favorably  impressed  by  his  appearance,  and  asked 
him  various  questions  relative  to  his  family  and  con- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  16 

nections  in  England,  and  who  eventually  engaged  him 
as  a  clerk,  at  the  same  time  introducing  the  sister  to  a 
friend,  who  promised  to  procure  her  light  and  profitable 
employment  in  New  York.  She  would  have  preferred 
much  going  to  Boston  with  Adolphus,  but  she  was 
overruled  by  the  gentleman  who  had  engaged  her  bro- 
ther, who,  she  thought,  appeared  anxious  that  she 
should  not  go  to  Boston.  However,  she  was  unsuspi 
cious  of  any  evil,  and  as  the  gentleman  appeared  to  fee. 
so  kindly  towards  them  both,  she,  rather  against  her 
brother's  wish,  decided  to  come  to  New  York,  where 
the  person  who  had  accompanied  her  had  been  as  good 
as  his  word,  and  had  procured  her  work  at  the  estab- 
lishment in  which  she  was  engaged  at  this  time; 
but  she  was  in  great  distress  in  consequence  of  her 
brother's  strange  silence. 

From  the  nature  of  the  questions  which  had  been  put 
to  her  by  the  stranger  in  Philadelphia,  I  was  more  confi- 
dent than  ever  that  he  was  cognizant  of  the  motives 
which  had  led  to  the  advertisement  being  inserted  in  the 
Philadelphia  paper,  and  I  at  once  made  up  my  mind  to 
take  the  case  in  hand  and  see  if  I  could  not  ferret  some- 
thing out  of  it,  even  if  I  had  to  proceed  to  England.  In- 
deed that  difficulty  I  cared  little  about ;  for  I  had  for 
some  time  previously  harbored  a  desire  to  visit  Europe. 

I  accordingly  begged  Miss  Fitzherbert  to  resign  her 
situation  at  the  bookbinding  establishment,  and  again  to 
assist  my  wife  in  dress-making,  as  she  was  then  on  the 
look  out  for  a  young  person  to  assist  her  in  such  matters, 
and  I  resolved  at  once  to  visit  Boston,  and  seek  to  disco- 
ver what  had  become  of  the  young  man. 

Miss  Fitzherbert  gladly  consented,  and  having  ar- 
ranged matters  satisfactorily,  my  wife  showed  her  to  the 
apartment  she  had  appropriated  to  her  use. 

The  next  morning  as  soon  as  I  reached  my  office,  I  me- 
chanically took  up  a  file  of  Boston  papers,  scarcely  ex- 
pecting they  would  give  me  any  clue  to  follow  in  my  pro- 
posed visit,  yet  still  with  that  vague  hope  that  we  are  all 
wont  to  repose  sometimes  on  the  merest  trifles,  on  such 


16  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

occasions  as  that  of  which  I  am  speaking.  Turning  to 
the  date  on  which  Miss  Fitzherbert  had  told  me  her  bro- 
ther had  left  Philadelphia  for  Boston,  I  carelessly  glanced 
over  the  columns  of  paper  after  paper,  half  smiling  to  my- 
self at  my  own  foolish  occupation,  when  I  was  startled 
on  perceiving  in  the  police  news  of  one  of  the  papers,  a 
report  that  one  Adol-phus  Fitzherbert  had  been  commit- 
ted to  jail  for  trial  on  a  charge  of  having  embezzled  mo- 
ney from  his  employer. 

At  first  I  was  somewhat  shocked ;  from  what  I  had 
formerly  seen  of  the  young  man,  I  could  not  bring  my- 
self to  believe  that  he  was  guilty  of  such  a  crime ;  but  I 
determined  to  visit  Boston  the  very  next  day,  and  see  him 
again,  and  thus  form  an  opinion  from  what  I  could  learn 
there,  of  the  nature  of  the  charge  against  him.  Accord- 
ingly, having  told  Miss  Fitzherbert  that  evening  that  I 
had  heard  already  of  her  brother,  and  that  he  was  in  good 
health,  I  signified  my  intention  of  proceeding  to  Boston 
on  the  following  morning.  I  could  perceive  that  Miss 
Fitzherbert  was  not  easy  in  her  mind,  notwithstanding 
what  I  had  told  her;  doubtless  because  she  was  confi- 
dent, had  it  been  so,  her  brother  would  have  written  to 
her ;  but  she  had  the  good  sense  to  control  her  feelings 
before  me,  however  she  might  have  given  vent  to  them 
in  private. 

On  arriving  at  Boston,  I  went  to  the  residence  of  a 
friend  and  related  to  him  the  strange  circumstances  of 
the  advertisement  which  had  so  interested  me,  and  my 
subsequent  meeting  with  the  young  woman,  together  with 
the  charge  preferred  against  her  brother,  and  said  I  could 
not  believe  that  he  was  really  guilty. 

My  friend  laughed  at  my  interesting  myself  in  a  young 
fellow  who  in  all  probability  might  turn  out  to  be 
a  thorough  scamp ;  but,  at  my  request,  consented  to  ac- 
company me  to  a  magistrate,  from  whom  we  obtained 
permission  to  visit  the  prisoner. 

Young  Fitzherbert  immediately  recognized  me  when 
I  entered  the  cell  in  which  he  was  confined ;  but  poor 
fellow !  I  scarcely  should  have  recognized  him  as  the 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  17 

youth  I  formerly  befriended,  so  haggard  and  woebe- 
gone was  his  appearance — nevertheless,  his  features  be- 
trayed indignation  rather  than  guilt,  and  as  I  looked 
upon  his  frank,  open  countenance,  I  felt  more  than  ever 
assured  that  there  had  been  foul  play  regarding  him.  I 
entered  into  conversation  with  him,  and  he  indignantly 
repelled  the  idea  that  he  had  been  guilty  of  so  base  a 
crime  as  that  he  was  charged  with,  and  I  at  length  learnt 
from  him  the  whole  of  the  circumstances  connected  with 
his  visit  to  Boston  and  his  subsequent  incarceration  in  jail. 

The  stranger  he  had  met  with  in  Philadelphia,  had 
first  met  him  at  an  intelligence  office  in  that  city  whithei 
he  had  gone  in  search  of  employment.  He  appeared  al 
first  to  be  much  interested  in  him,  and  had  .held  some 
conversation  with  him  respecting  his  parents,  and  hi? 
present  and  future  prospects,  and  at  length,  on  leaving 
him,  requested  him  to  call  with  his  sister  at  his  hotel  on 
the  following  day.  He  had  called,  as  requested,  accom- 
panied by  his  sister,  when  the  stranger  made  further  sin- 
gular inquiries  respecting  his  affairs,  and  concluded  by 
offering  him  a  situation  in  Boston,  and  also  recommended 
his  sister  to  some  employment  in  New  York,  as  Georgi- 
ana  had  told  me.  On  arriving  in  Boston,  this  person, 
whose  name  was  Dorcas,  had  engaged  a  double-bedded 
room  at  an  hotel,  and  they  had  both  retired  to  rest ;  and 
the  young  man  was  awakened  in  the  morning  by  a  po- 
liceman, who  arrested  him  on  the  charge  of  having  rob- 
bed the  valise  of  Mr.  Dorcas  on  the  previous  evening. — 
They  searched  his  clothes,  and  a  wallet  containing  a  con- 
siderable amount  in  bills,  was  found  in  his  pocket,  al- 
though he  solemnly  asserted  he  knew  not  how  it  came 
there.  His  assertions  however,  were  of  no  avail,  and  he 
was  committed  to  jail  for  trial.  He  concluded  with 
saying,  he  had  not  the  heart  to  let  his  sister  know  of  his 
unhappy  situation. 

The  charge  both  to  my  friend  and  myself,  appeared 
to  be  perfectly  extravagant — for  we  could  not  believe, 
had  the  young  man  actually  robbed  his  employer,  that 
he  would  have  retired  to  rest  in  the  same  room  with  him, 


18  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OK, 

and  with  the  proceeds  of  the  robbery  in  his  pocket,  or 
that  the  employer  would,  had  the  robbery  actually 
taken  place,  have  procured  the  arrest  of  his  future  clerk, 
without  first  awakening  him  and  charging  him  with  the 
robbery,  and  we  told  our  impressions  to  the  youth,  pro- 
mising to  use  our  best  endeavors  to  investigate  further 
the  nature  of  the  charge. 

We  ascertained  from  young  Fitzherbert  the  name  of 
the  hotel  at  which  Dorcas  was  stopping,  and  immediately 
determined  on  paying  him  a  visit ;  and  finding  him  in 
the  reading-room,  I,  without  prelude,  boldly  asked  on 
what  grounds  Adolphus  Fitzherbert  had  been  imprisoned. 

The  man,  who  was  a  sinister-looking  individual,  was 
evidently  surprised  at  seeing  two  respectable  strangers, 
who  were  evidently  interested  in  the  prisoner :  but  he 
recovered  himself,  and  replied,  haughtily — 

"  On  a  charge  of  embezzlement." 

"  Indeed  !"  said  I,  assuming  a  confidant  tone ;  for,  in 
spite  of  his  assumed  boldness,  I  saw  the  fellow  was 
frightened.  "It  is  strange  that  a  young  man,  whom 
you  had  engaged  as  a  clerk,  should  have  the  unaccount- 
able audacity  to  rob  you,  and  then  retire  to  rest  in  the 
same  room  with  you,  with  the  money  in  his  vest-pocket ; 
and  strange,  also,  that  you  should  actually  cause  him 
to  be  arrested,  without  charging  him  with  the  crime,  or 
even  awakening  him  from  sleep.  To  tell  the  plain  truth, 
sir,  I  believe  the  young  man  is  innocent,  and  that  you 
have  other  reasons  for  causing  him  to  be  sent  to  prison, 
and  so  put  out  of  the  way.  You  asked  some  singular 
questions  of  him  and  his  sister,  in  Philadelphia.  Pray, 
sir,  do  you  know  anything  of  this  advertisement?" 
showing  him  the  slip,  in  my  pocket-book. 

The  fellow  became  much  agitated,  but  made  no  reply. 
I  continued : 

"  Now,  sir,  in  the  first  place,  I  wish  to  know  where 
is  your  place  of  business  in  Boston,  and  what  is  the  pro- 
fession, to  aid  you  in  which,  you  were  so  eager  to  engage 
the  services  of  young  Fitzherbert,  after  having  gleaned 
all  you  could  from  him  respecting  his  family ;  and  why 


THE  OEPHAN'S  WRONGS.  19 

did  you  recommend  his  sister  not  to  come  with  him  to 
Boston,  when  you  are  well  aware  she  could  have  got 
employment  near  her  brother,  as  well  as  at  New  York  ? 
You  see,  sir,  I  know  all  connected  with  this  matter,  and 
am  determined  to  sift  it  to  the  uttermost.  I  know  that 
no  person  of  your  name  is  carrying  on  business  in  this 
city,  for  I  have  searched  the  Directory.  The  name  of 
Jeremiah  Dorcas  is  not  to  be  found  there.  I  can  tell 
you,  sir,  you  have  got  yourself  into  an  awkward  po- 
sition." 

The  fellow  trembled  like  an  aspen-leaf,  and  I  was  now 
confidant  the  whole  charge  was  trumped  up :  but  still 
he  did  not  reply ;  and  I  was  about  to  leave  the  hotel, 
and  make  known  my  suspicions  to  a  magistrate.  This 
I  told  him,  when  he  confessed  that  he  had  placed  the 
money  in  the  pocket  of  the  young  man,  and  that  he  had 
been  hired  to  do  so  by  a  person  named  Harley,  whom 
he  had  met  at  Jones'  Hotel,  in  Philadelphia,  who  had 
paid  him  liberally  to  get  the  young  man  out  of  the  way. 
He  had  shown  him  the  advertisement,  but  further  than 
this  he  knew  nothing  of  the  business.  I  believed  what 
he  said ;  and  he  begged  me  to  say  nothing  about  the 
matter,  and  he  would  withdraw  the  charge. 

My  friend  was  for  causing  him  to  be  arrested,  for  ma- 
king a  false  charge,  but  I  saw  that  evidently  there  was 
fraud  and  conspiracy  at  work  respecting  these  young 
people,  as  regarded  some  inheritance  that  was  justly  their 
due ;  arid  I  thought  that  the  wisest  plan  to  circumvent 
the  machinations  of  their  enemies,  would  be  to  keep 
things  secret,  the  more  especially  as  Dorcas  had  mention- 
ed that  Harley  was  in  communication  with  others  besides 
himself,  while  he  was  in  Philadelphia.  I  insisted,  how- 
ever, upon  his  delivering  to  Adolphus  the  amount  he 
had  falsely  charged  him  with  stealing,  as  the  price  of 
my  forbearance,  and  commanded  him  to  keep  Harley 
ignorant  of  the  turn  matters  had  taken.  This  the  trem- 
bling coward  gladly  promised  to  do.  As  to  Harley,  he 
said  he  believed  he  had  gone  to  England — at  all  events, 
he  knew  not  where  he  could  be  found. 


20  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;   OR, 

"I  am  now  going  to  the  jail,"  I  added;  "you  will 
please  to  accompany  me :  the  court  is  now  sitting.  Ex- 
plain to  the  judge  and  committing  magistrate,  that  you 
were  wrong  in  your  suspicious ;  that  young  Fitzherbert 
is  innocent,  and,  to  the  best  of  your  knowledge,  has  not 
a  stain  on  his  moral  character — or  I  will  not  answer  for 
the  consequences." 

The  crest-fallen  man  did  as  I  desired,  and  I  had  the 
satisfaction  to  see  young  Fitzherbert  a  free  man. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  having  completed  my  own 

Private  business,  we  left  Boston  together,  for  New  York, 
need  not  describe  the  joyous  emotions  of  young  Fitz- 
herbert as  we  entered  the  railroad-cars,  and  he  thought 
how  soon  he  should  again  see  his  sister,  from  whom  he 
had,  until  now,  never  been  a  day  separated  since  child- 
hood, nor  the  flood  of  gratitude  he  expressed  towards 
myself  for  my  kindness  to  them  both. 

In  due  time  we  arrived  at  New  York,  and  I  made 
all  possible  haste  to  get  home,  as  I  saw  how  anxious 
Adolphus  was  to  see  his  sister.  Under  the  circumstan- 
ces, it  was  not  to  be  wondered  at. 

We  reached  my  residence,  and  we  were  both  welcomed 
at  the  door  by  my  wife. 

We  had  hardly  taken  off  our  overcoats,  when  young 
Fitzherbert  asked  for  his  sister. 

"  She  must  be  up  stairs  in  her  room,"  said  my  wife; 
"  for  Mary  came  in  with  the  children  a  few  minutes 
since.  I  guess,  had  she  heard  you  come  in,  she  would 
have  been  down  before  now." 

"  Has  she  been  abroad,  then  ?"  I  asked. 

"Yes,"  replied  my  wife;  "  the  poor  girl  has  been  con- 
fined so  long,  that  I  thought  a  little  fresh  air  would  do 
her  good  ;  and  she  was  every  day  so  anxiously  expecting 
a  letter  from  her  brother,  that  I  let  her  go  as  far  as  the 
post-office.  Mary  has  been  with  her  and  two  of  the 
children." 

"Hasten,  then, 'and  call  her  down  stairs,  my  dear," 
I  said  ;  "Adolphus  is  dying  with  impatience  to  see  her." 

My  wife  did  as  I  desired  her — but  there  was  no  re- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  21 

gponse.     She  went  up  stairs  to  her  room,  but  she  was 
not  there. 

"  Where  can  she  be  ?"  said  she ;  "  I  purely  heard  Mary 
come  in,  and  heard  the  children's  voices  in  the  passage. 
Mary  !"  she  called  down  the  basement  stairs ;  and,  in  a 
moment,  the  servant  made  her  appearance. 

"  Where  is  Miss  Fitzherbert,  Mary  ?"  said  I. 

"  I  do  not  know,  sir,"  replied  the  servant ;  "  I  thought 
she  got  home  before  me." 

"Did  you  part  company  with  her,  then,  in  the  street?" 

"  We  were  stopping  at  a  picture  shop  in  Broadway, 
sir,  after  we  had  called  at  the  post-office,  where  there  was 
no  letter  for  Miss  Fitzherbert,  and  she  was  showing  one 
of  the  pictures  to  the  children,  when  the  fire  bells  rang, 
and  a  great  crowd  of  people  rushed  by  with  the  engines. 
I  took  the  hands  of  the  children,  and  tried  to  escape  the 
crowd,  by  turning  down  one  of  the  by-streets  until  it  had 
passed ;  and  when  I  looked  round,  Miss  Fitzherbert  was 
not  to  be  seen.  She  must  have  lost  us  in  the  crowd,  and 
I  thought,  perhaps,  she  had  taken  a  stage,  and  got  home 
before  us." 

Poor  Adolphus  was  in  a  sad  state  of  excitement,  and 
to  tell  the  truth  my  wife  and  I  were  little  less  alarmed. 

"  You  should  on  no  consideration  have  let  her  go  out 
of  the  house,  Jane,"  said  I  to  my  wife,  who  appeared  to 
be  quite  stupefied  at  the  turn  matters  had  taken. 

However,  after  a  few  moments  consideration,  I  began 
to  think  we  were  all  viewing  the  affair  too  seriously,  and 
I  said — 

"Miss  Fitzherbert  has  no  doubt  missed  Mary  in  the 
crowd,  and  has  perhaps  staid  behind  in  the  hope  of  find- 
ing her  and  the  children  again.  I  dare  say  she  will  be 
here  shortly ;  for  she  knows  the  way  from  Broadway  to 
our  residence." 

We  all  hoped  and  thought  this  would  be  the  case, 
although  we  could  not  get  rid  of  our  uneasiness ;  but  at 
length,  when  half-an-hour — an  hour  had  elapsed,  and  it 
began  to  grow  dusk,  we  got  really  and  seriously  alarmed, 
and  Adolphus  was  almost  beside  himself  with  mingled 


22  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

feelings  of  excitement  and  fear.  In  the  course  of  anothei 
half-an-hour  we  walked  out  together,  taking  the  direction 
of  Broadway,  although  utterly  unable  to  devise  any 
means  of  learning  any  tidings  of  the  lost  one.  "  Had  any 
accident  happened  to  her  ?  had  she  been  run  down  and 
injured  by  the  crowd?"  were  questions  that  we  asked 
ourselves,  and  in  the  dreadful  doubt  whether  or  not  this 
had  been  the  case,  we  actually  proceeded  to  the  city  hos- 
pital and  asked  if  any  one  answering  to  her  description 
had  been  carried  thither  ?  The  answer  was  in  the  nega- 
tive, and  at  our  wits'  ends  what  farther  to  do,  we  returned 
to  the  house,  hoping  to  find  her  there  safe  when  we  ar- 
rived ;  but  it  was  now  dark,  and  nothing  had  been  heard 
of  her.  Neither  her  brother  or  I  could  rest  at  home,  and 
we  again  went  out — this  time  going  to  the  Chief  of  the 
Police's  office,  where  we  stated  what  had  occurred. 

Again  we  returned  home,  and  again  heard  the  dismal 
news  that  Miss  Fitzherbert  had  not  arrived.  Neither  of 
us  went  to  rest  that  night,  and  Adolphus  was  almost 
driven  by  his  feelings  into  a  state  of  insanity.  He  flung 
himself  upon  the  chairs  and  sofas,  and  then  rose  and  ra- 
pidly paced  the  floor,  with  clenched  fists  and  wild 
gestures ;  he  went  from  room  to  room  and  searched  in 
the  most  ridiculous  and  impossible  places,  and  I  had 
great  difficulty  in  controlling  him  or  keeping  him  from 
again  rushing  out  of  the  house  and  uselessly,  at  that 
hour,  renewing  the  search. 

Morning  carne  at  length,  slowly  enough  it  appeared  to 
us,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  daylight  I  hurried  down  town, 
accompanied  by  Adolphus,  to  the  evening  newspaper  of- 
fices and  desired  an  advertisement  to  be  inserted,  and 
then  we  pursued  the  same  course  at  the  offices  of  all  the 
daily  papers. 

However,  the  advertisements  answered  no  purpose,  and 
days  passed  away  and  nothing  was  heard  of  the  lost  girl, 
although  the  police  were  put  on  the  alert  and  every  means 
we  could  devise  employed  to  hear  some  tidings  of  her  or 
to  discover  her  whereabouts. 

Meanwhile,  dispirited  though  I  was,  I  learnt  from  the 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  28 

young  man  at  various  times,  for  he  was  too  agitated  to 
speak  long  on  any  subject,  that  his  sister's  version  of  the 
history  of  her  family  was  perfectly  correct  so  far  as  she 
knew.  I  also  received  a  hint  from  him  respecting  the 
relatives  of  his  father's  .family  which  I  shall  not  at  present 
disclose,  as  it  would  interfere  with  the  interest  of  the  sub- 
sequent narrative ;  and  in  the  vague  hope  that  the  sister 
would  eventually  be  found,  I  set  about  investigating  as 
far  as  I  was  able,  the  mystery  of  the  advertisement.  1 
learnt  that  it  had  been  answered  by  two  young  persons, 
representing  their  names  and  those  of  their  parents  to  be 
the  same  as  those  of  my  youthful  proteges,  and  thus  as 
they  had  gained  two  months  or  more  undisputed  vantage 
ground,  1  found  that  I  should  have  to  commence  the 
buttle  with  strong  odds  against  me.  My  counter  evi- 
dence was,  however,  so  conclusive  that  I  had  no  doubt 
whatever  of  the  eventual  success  of  my  clients,  could  I 
only  find  the  poor  girl,  despite  the  tardiness  and  the 
proverbial  uncertainty  of  the  law  in  such  cases  as  these. 
I  soon  had  reason,  however,  to  believe  that  the  person 
whose  name  had  appeared  in  the  advertisement  as  the 
agent  in  the  business  was  an  Englishman,  and  was  really 
the  agent  of  the  parties  who  claimed,  in  England,  the 
right  to  the  disputed  property,  and  also  that  the  parties, 
wiio  had  personified  the  brother  and  sister  were  paid 
agents  themselves,  employed  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
out  what  turned  out  to  be  one  of  the  most  foul  conspi- 
racies to  defraud  that  was  ever  plotted.  I  will,  at  present, 
only  observe  that  to  those  persons  who  recognize  in  the 
name  of  Fitzherbert  that  of  a  character  once  somewhat 
celebrated  at  the  Court  of  St.  James,  some  idea  of  the 
hint  given  me  by  young  Fitzherbert  regarding  the  posi' 
tion  of  his  father's  family  may  be  arrived  at;  but  the 
whole  affair  is  so  mixed  up  with  shameless  trickery  and 
heartless  duplicity  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  so-called 
aristocracy,  both  of  this  country  and  Great  Britain,  that 
it  would  be  useless  to  say  more  at  present.  From  the 
incidents  I  learnt  I  shall  weave  the  whole  affair  into  a 
narrative,  which  in  my  opinion,  and  that  of  all  those 


24  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;    OR, 

cognizant  of  any  of  the  circumstances  connected  with  it3 
will  contain  matter  of  the  most  thrilling  interest,  continu- 
ing it  up  to  the  date  of  the  paragraph  taken  from  the 
English  paper,  which,  so  far  as  it  goes,  is  in  the  main 
correct. 

I  proceeded  to  work  busily,  although  much  discon- 
certed by  the  non-appearance  of  Miss  Fitzherbert,  whose 
identity  it  would  be  necessary  to  substantiate,  or  at  least 
to  have  satisfactory  proof  of  her  death,  and  now  we  began 
really  to  fear  that  something  fatal  had  befallen  her.  I 
was  therefore  hampered  in  commencing  operations  openly, 
so  as  to  give  me  any  chance  of  success.  Young  Fitzher- 
bert also  was  so  completely  paralyzed  by  the  loss  of  his 
sister  that  he  appeared  perfectly  heedless  regarding  the 
matter,  and  careless  as  to  what  became  of  him ;  for  three 
long,  anxious,  weary  weeks  had  now  passed  away,  and 
still  nothing  had  been  discovered  respecting  the  missing 
girl. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Every  search  made  for  the  heroine,  is  unsuccessful — A  letter 
from  Philadelphia  leads  to  a  strange  discovery — The  res- 
cue of  the  heroine — Mysterious  explanations  respecting  the 
abduction. 

WHAT  a  different  estimation  do  we  form  of  the  value 
of  time  according  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  under 
which  we  may  be  placed !  Time  flies  so  rapidly,  says  he 
or  she  whose  mind  is  free  from  trouble ;  whose  prospects 
are  cheering,  and  whose  future  path  appears  strewn  with 
flowers.  Time  lags  so  wearily  along,  says  another,  whose 
soul  is  beset  with  apprehensions;  who  is  a  prey  to  the 
demon  of  anxiety  or  remorse,  or  whose  spirits  and  health 
are  prostrated  beneath  that  "hope  deferred  which  maketh 
the  heart  sick." 

Thus  it  was  with  poor  Adolphus ;  thus,  though  in  a 
less  painful  degree,  was  it  with  myself;  while  my  wife 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  25 

was  sorely  distressed  that  she  had,  although  unconsci- 
ously, been  the  cause  of  all  our  trouble  in  consequence 
of  allowing  Georgiana  to  go  abroad  on  the  ill-fated  day 
of  her  visit  to  the  Post  Office;  besides  which,  as  a  woman, 
she  could  but  feel  for  the  situation  of  the/orlorn,  de- 
sponding brother,  as  well  as  entertain  mournful  appre- 
hensions regarding  the  sister  whose  mysterious  disap- 
pearance and  prolonged  absence  almost  banished  any 
hope  that  we  had  entertained  of  her  return. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  last  chapter  of  this  narrative, 
I  said  three^weeks  had  passed  away  since  I  had  returned 
from  Boston  with  young  Fitzherbert,"  and  learnt  the 
melancholy  tidings  of  his  sister's  disappearance;  but 
three  weeks  did  not  put  a  period  to  our  anxiety.  Twice 
that  space  of  time  had  elapsed,  and  no  intelligence  had 
been  heard  from  or  of  her,  although  her  strange  disap- 
pearance had  been  advertised  throughout  every  state  in 
the  Union. 

Adolphus  and  I  had  our  suspicions  at  first  that 
M ,  of  Boston,  the  person  whose  evil  designs  re- 
garding both  the  brother  and  sister,  have  already  been 
spoken  of,  had  something  to  do  with  the  matter;  but  he, 
we  learnt,  had  sailed  a  week  or  two  previous  for  Eng- 
land. He  had  been  in  New  York  about  the  time  of 
the  disappearance  of  Miss  Fitzherbert,  it  is  true ;  but 
there  was  nothing,  so  far  as  we  could  learn,  to  fasten 
suspicion  directly  upon  him,  or  to  lead  us  to  believe  he 
knew  any  thing  of  the  matter. 

One  strange  piece  of  information  we  received  which, 
vague  as  it  was,  urged  young  Fitzherbert  to  the  very 
brink  of  despair,  as  regarded  his  sister's  fate.  It  wa"s 
this : — Some  weeks  after  we  had  advertised  the  disap- 
pearance of  the  young  lady,  I  received  a  reply,  by  letter, 
from  a  Postmaster  of  a  small  town  in  Wisconsin,  accom- 
panied by  a  local  newspaper,  in  the  columns  of  which 
was  a  paragraph  relating  to  a  young  female  whose  ap- 
pearance seemed  to  agree  with  that  of  Miss  Fitzherbert, 
and  who  had  been  in  that  neighborhood  shortly  after  the 

2 


26  THE   LAWYERS  STORY;    OR, 

date  of  her  disappearance  from  New  York,  or,  at  least, 
from  her  friends  in  this  city..  This  young  female,  the 
Postmaster  stated  in  his  letter,  had  shown  symptoms  of 
aberration  of  intellect,  and  had  since  been  found  drowned 
in  a  creek  in  the  neighborhood — it  was  supposed  by  ac- 
cident, as  she  had  apparently  stepped  off  a  partially 
opened  draw-bridge.  The  features  could  not  be  recog- 
nized, as  the  body  when  found,  had  been  several  days  in 
the  water ;  but  a  locket  had  been  taken  from  her  neck 
which  was  sent  on  for  me  to  identify  if  possible.  Strange 
enough,  Miss  Fitzherbert,  as  her  brother  said,  had  worn 
a  similar  one,  and  though  it  was  a  counterpart  of  those 
which  may  be  found  in  a  jeweler's  store  at  all  times,  he 
would  not  believe  otherwise  than  that  the  unfortunate 
girl  described  in  the  newspaper,  and  letter,  was  his 
sister. 

With  regard  to  the  advertisement  respecting  the  pro- 
perty, I  was  prevented  from  taking  any  prompt  and  de- 
termined steps  in  the  matter,  for  reasons,  I  have  already 
explained,  and  to  add  to  my  uneasiness  on  this  score,  I 
read  in  a  English  newspaper,  received  by  a  late  mail, 
that  the  two  persons,  who,  I  had  not  the  slightest  doubt, 
had  wrongly  personated  the  brother*  and  sister  enquired 
for  in  the  advertisement,  had  arrived  in  London,  and,  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all  interested  parties,  were  proceeding 
in  a  legal  way  to  substantiate  their  claims.  The  evi- 
dence of  Adolphus  would  have  thrown  a  considerable 
obstacle  in  their  way.  This  I  was  fully  aware  of;  and  I 
strenuously  endeavored  to  urge  him  to  co-operate  with 
me,  and  to  dispute  the  rights  of  the  false  claimants  ;  but 
all  my  endeavors  to  arouse  him  to  energy  were  futile. 
I  told  him  that  duty,  as  well  as  justice  to  himself  and 
sister,  required  him  to  exert  himself;  that  in  the  event 
of  his  sister's  reappearance,  so  much  time  would  be  irre- 
vocably lost,  and  with  it  every  anticipation  of  obtaining 
future  justice;  for  none  knew  better  than  I  the  intrica- 
cies of  laws  suits,  wherein  the  rights  of  property  are  con- 
cerned, and  often  in  the  course  of  a  long  practice  had  I 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  27 

experienced  the  truth  of  the  axiom — "  Possession  is  nine 
points  of  the  law." 

But  when  I  mentioned  the  subject  to  him,  he  would 
reply,  while  the  sickly  smile  of  hopelessness  gave  a 
ghastly  appearance  to  his  wan  features — "  The  recovery 

of  my  sister,  Mr. 1  Can  I,  can  you,  or  any  one 

now  retain  a  hope  of  her  return  ?  Supposing  that  the 
Wisconsin  Postmaster  letter  did  not  relate  to  her,  where 
could  an  innocent,  helpless  girl  have  been  immured  for 
six  weeks?  No,  no,  Georgiana  will  return  no  more. 
I  cannot,  dare  not  say  what  I  fear  has  been  her  fate," 
and  as  he  spoke,  a  shudder  pervaded  his  frame.  "  She 
has  gone  from  me  forever,  and  with  her  has  fled  every 
hope  of  my  existence.  What  were  the  prospect  of 
wealth  and  the  possession  of  rights  and  property  that 
may  or  may  not  be  mine,  provided  she  were  not  with 
me  to  share  my  good  fortune.  Poor,  dear  girl,  she 
shared  my  evil  fortune  long  enough,  and  her  cheerful 
voice  and  winning  smile  and  clinging  sisterly  love,  were 
oftentimes,  when  I  was  most  prostrated  by  misfortune, 
the  only  spur  that  goaded  me  on  to  fresh  exertion. 
Hope  for  the  future  is  dead  within  me.  If  wealth  be 
mine,  let  others  enjoy  it  if  they  will  and  can,  to  me  it 
would  be  a  source  of  perpetual  rankling  of  soul.  Could 
/  revel  in  luxury,  enjoy  pleasure,  bask  in  the  sunshine 
of  prosperity,  witness  the  happiness  of  strangers,  and  not 
feel  a  constantly  recurring  pang,  wounding  me  to  the 
heart,  and  rendering  each  scene  of  enjoyment  to  others, 
one  of  torture  to  me?  Could  I  witness  brothers  and 
sisters,  aye,  or  lovers,  mingling  in  the  dance  with  those 
they  loved,  or  enjoy  themselves  in  any  social  festivity, 
without  having  the. image  of  my  poor  sister — fair  as  the 
fairest,  and  dearer  to  me  than  myself — constantly  before 
my  eyes;  perhaps,  in  fancy,  looking  reproachfully  upon 
me  as  the  cause  of  her  death,"  and  here  his  voice  fal- 
tered as  he  added — "  for  I  should  not  have  left  her.  No, 

Mr. ,  1  feel  all  your  kindness,  but  I  have  no  motive 

now  to  urge  me  to  exertion. 

"  While  I  live,  I  feel  that  I  must  work  for  my  sup 


28  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OK, 

port,  and  the  very  necessity  of  exertion  that  feeling  will 
create,  will  prove  a  better  balm  to  my  sorrowing  spirit 
than  all  the  allurements  that  wealth  could  bestow. 
And  this  leads  me  to  speak  on  a  subject  I  have  revolved 
in  iny  mind  this  morning.  I  can  live  no  longer  on  your 
generosity.  I  have  done  so  too  long  already  ;  but  while 
a  vestige  of  hope  remained,  I  was  unwilling  to  quit  your 
residence.  You  will  add  one  more  favor  to  the  many 
you  have  accorded  to  me,  if  you.  will,  through  your  in- 
fluence aid  me  in  procuring  even  the  humblest  employ- 
ment by  means  of  which  I  can  support  myself  and  re- 
pay your  kindness.  At  all  events  to-morrow  I  shall 
leave  here.  If  my  sister  is  lost  to  me,  her  brother  shall 
be  no  longer — too  long  he  has  already  been — the  reci- 
pient of  the  charity  of  strangers." 

There  was  a  bitterness  in  the  tone  in  which  the  young 
man  uttered  these  last  words  that  I  should  have  thought, 
under  other  circumstances,  savored  of  ingratitude ;  but 
in  the  irritated  state  of  his  nerves,  I  could  easily  over- 
look and  forgive  it.  I  therefore  replied: 

"  Air.  Fitzherbert,  you  are,  from  what  I  have  heard 
from  your  own  lips,  corroborated,  as  it  has  been  by  the 
information  I  have  already  received,  by  means  of  the 
very  slight  investigation  the  sad  circumstances  in  which 
we  have  been  placed  have  permitted  rne  to  make, 
aware  as  well  as  I,  that  you  and  your  sister  are  in  all 
probability  the  heirs  to  wealth  and  rank  compared  with 
which  the  position  I  hold  is  one  of  poverty  ;  therefore 
the  slight  favors  I  have  rendered  you,  since  you  have 
made  my  house  your  home,  cannot  be  placed  to  the  score 
of  charity  on  my  part.  The  services  I  rendered  your 
-sjster  and  yourself  previously,  were,  only  such  as  any 
nonest,  right  feeling  man  would  render  to  any  human 
beings  placed  in  a  similar  position,  therefore  they  have 
left  no  obligation  behind.  I  can,  however,  feel,  myself, 
the  awkwardness  of  your  position  here,  provided  you 
still  determine  to  take  no  steps  to  aid  me  in  my  endea- 
vors to  restore  to  you  the  inheritance  that  should  have 
been  your  father's,  without  which  all  action  on  my  part 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  29 

would  be  worse  than  useless.  But  you  shall  not  leave 
me  unprovided  for.  I  have  influence  to  obtain  you  em- 
ployment which  will  give  you  the  means  of  gaining 
a  comfortable  livelihood,  and  it  shall  be  employed  in 
your  behalf.  I  again,  however,  urge  you  to  view  the 
matter  differently.  You  are  a  young  man:  brilliant 
prospects  may  be  before  you ;  happiness  may  yet  await 
you.  Time  will  blunt  the  keenest  pangs  of  the  grief 
you  now  feel  on  account  of  your  sister's  loss  ;  your  sis- 
ter even  may  yet  be  restored  to  you.  If  not,  recollect 
that  others  have  suffered  in  a  like  degree,  and  if  they 
have  temporarily  given  way  to  despondency,  it  has  not 
lasted  forever.  Excuse  me  for  alluding  to  another  sub- 
ject, which  perhaps  may,  under  your  present  bereave- 
ment, be  unpleasant  to  you.  It  is  this  :  It  cannot  be  ex- 
pected that  because  you  have  lost  a  sister,  however  dear 
she  was  to  you,  you  can  remain  indifferent  to  the  fasci- 
nations of  the  sex.  The  time  will  corne  when  some 
gentle  being  will  awaken  other,  different  and  stronger 
emotions  of  love,  and  in  her  love  you  may  be  happy  ;  and 
though  the  loss  of  your  sister  may  never,  will  never  be 
obliterated  from  your  recollection,  Time,  as  I  have  already 
said,  the  assuager  of  all  mental  grief,  will  enshrine  her 
memory  in  your  breast  as  one  of  the  sad  but  yet  not 
altogether  painful  recollections  of  the  past ;  for  there  are 
moments  in  the  lives  of  the  happiest  when  there  is  a 
mournful  pleasure  in  recalling  even  the  bitterest  sorrows 
of  by  gone  days.  Let  me  then  once  again  entreat  of 
you  to  overcome  what  I  must  term  this  morbid  disposi- 
tion to  court  hopelessness  and  despair.  To-night  1  will 
say  no  more  on  the  subject.  Revolve  what  I  have  said  in 
your  mind,  and  tell  me  your  determination  to-morrow." 

Tears  sprang  into  the  young  man's  eyes,  as  he  rose 
and  seized  me  by  the  hand. 

"I  am  sensible,"  he  said,  "that  I  have  spoken  in. 
words  which  might  be  construed  into  those  of  ingrati- 
tude ;  forgive  me,  and  charge  the  fault  to  the  distress 
into  which  my  mind  has  been  plunged.  Had  I  lost 
Georgiana  in  any  other  manner,  although  I  should  feel 


30  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OK, 

the  loss  bitterly,  I  should  not  so  deeply  grieve ;  but  to 
lose  her  in  this  strange  manner,  brings  heartrending 
forebodings  as  to  what  may  have  been  her  fate.  And  in 
reply  to  your  remarks  upon  my  distress  of  mind  and 
your  allusions  to  future  happiness,  listen  to  me,  while  I 
tell  how  it  is  that  the  cords  of  brotherly  and  sisterly  love 
were  so  closely  woven  around  our  hearts,  and  then  say 
if  mine  is  a  common  case  of  sorrow.  I  am  six  years 
older  than  my  sister,  and  when  our  mother  died  I  was 
able  to  carry  the  little  baby  about — and  my  father's 
death  occurring  so  shortly  afterwards,  although  we  were 
kindly  adopted  by  strangers,  as  soon  as  my  sister  was 
out  of  her  nurse's  arms,  I  was  naturally  enough  em- 
ployed much  in  tending  and  amusing  her.  I,  at  the 
time  of  our  parents  deaths,  was  old  enough,  child  as  I 
was,  to  lament  their  loss,  and  to  feel  a  harrowing  sense 
of  our  loneliness.  Perhaps,  I  was  prematurely  inducted 
into  the  cares  and  sorrows  of  existence — for,  such  a  loss 
as  that,  to  a  child  of  my  age  at  the  time,  generally  leads 
to  precocity — I  might,  like  other  boys,  had  my  parents 
lived,  sought  the  society  of  my  childhood's  playmates, 
and  thought  but  little  of  a  baby  sister ;  but  as  she  began 
to  walk,  and  then  to  lisp  the  name  of  "  brother,"  and  to 
dry  up  her  childish  tears  and  smile  a  welcome  at  my  ap- 
proach, can  it  be  wondered  at  that  she  became  all  in  all 
to  me;  and,  then,  as  she  grew  older,  she  whispered 
in  my  ears  all  her  childish  joys  and  sorrows,  and 
made  me  the  confidant  of  her  little  secrets — and  when  I 
came  home  from  the  day  school  to  which  I  was  sent,  it 
was  my  greatest  delight  to  teach  Georgiana  her  letters, 
and,  boy  as  I  was,  I  felt  the  pride  and  joy  of  a  parent 
when  she  accomplished  her  tasks,  and  so  applied  herself 
to  the  little  studies  I  sat  her  to,  purposely  to  win  her 
brother's  smile  and  approbation — and  then,  our  books 
laid  aside,  we  would  sit  with  our  arms  entwined  about 
each  other's  necks,  and  I  would  tell  her  about  the  father 
and  mother  whom  we  both  had  lost,  and  kiss  the  tears 
from  her  eyelids,  as  she  wrept  over  the  decease  of  the  pa- 
rents she  had  never  known.  I  was  at  a  very  early  age 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  81 

compelled  to  earn,  in  a  great  measure,  my  own  living ; 
at  least,  I  was  expected  to  supply  my  own  clothing,  and 
it  was  my  pride  to  supply  my  sister's  too,  and  to  furnish 
her,  out  of  my  scanty  earnings,  with  the  little  trifles,  so 
essential  to  the  happiness  of  a  child,  which  otherwise  she 
would  never  have  possessed.  I  need  not  say  she  was  the 
constant  companion  of  my  leisure  hours  as  we  grew  up, 
for  1  had  little  opportunity  and  less  leisure  to  seek  other 
society.  You  know  how  beautiful  she  was,  and  how 
gentle  was  her  disposition  ;  when  we  did  mingle  with  the 
youth  of  our  own  age,  I  compared  her  with  others  whom 
I  met,  and  was  doubly  proud  to  call  her  sister.  Young 
as  I  am,  I  have  met,  in  consequence  of  the  misfortunes 
of  those  who  were  kind  to  me,  with  more  trials  than 
usually  fall  to  the  lot  of  youth.  When  these  trials  oc- 
curred, I  found  ample  repayment  for  the  love  and  care  I 
had  bestowed  upon  my  sister.  I  am  naturally  of  an  im- 
petuous disposition.  I  should,  in  all  probability,  but  for 
her  kind  solicitude  and  constant  cheerfulness,  have  reck- 
lessly cast  myself  away,  I  should  have  sought  other  and 
rougher  scenes  of  employment,  which  might  have  given 
me  ample  support,  but  which  would  have  made  me  differ- 
ent to  what  I  am ;  nay,  more,  the  lessons  of  virtue,  I 
learnt  from  my  mother's  lips  and  taught  to  her,  would,  I 
fear,  have  been  eradicated,  had  she  not  again  brought 
them  to  my  memory,  and  thus,  by  her  gentle  hopeful 
love,  doubly  repaid  my  boyhood's  care.  Few  have  been, 
placed  in  circumstances  such  as  we  have  been.  She 
was  sister,  daughter — all  to  me — and  thus  to  lose  her ! 
Mr.  -  — ,  can  you  wonder  at  my  grief  or  reproach  me 
fof  succumbing  beneath  its  weight?  Believe  me,  sir, 
those  alone  who  have  been  placed  in  similar  circum- 
stances, can  know  the  earnestness,  the  depth,  the  holy 
purity  of  a  brother's  love." 

lie  sat  down  and  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  I, 
scarcely  less  affected  at  the  touching  picture  he  had 
drawn,  and  knowing  that  obtrusive  attempts  at  conso- 
lation in  moments  of  bitter  mental  suffering  only  add  to 
•.is  intensity,  noiselessly  quitted  the  room. 


32  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OK, 

How  very  often  do  we  find  the  atmospheric  law,  "  The 
Darkest  hour  is  often  that  which  ushers  in  the  dawn," 
applicable  to  the  tide  of  human  affairs.  There  are  few 
persons,  young  or  old,  who  have  not  more  than  once  in 
their  lives  found  that  when  their  prospects  were  most 
clouded,  and  when  hope  seemed  to  have  whispered  fare- 
well, then  the  tide  of  trouble  turned,  and  sunshine  and 
prosperity  succeeded  the  darkness  of  doubt  and  of  almost 
despair. 

I  left  Fitzherbert  the  evening  on  which  the  above 
recorded  conversation  had  taken  place  between  us,  in  the 
hope  that  he  would  think  better  of  his  determination,  and 
be  brought  to  take  a  more  hopeful  view  of  his  future 
prospects.  Consequently,  I  did  not  speak  to  him  before 
leaving  home  for  the  city,  the  next  morning,  in  order 
to  give  him  as  long  as  possible  to  arrive  at  his  final  de- 
termination. 

About  midday  my  servant  was  despatched  by  my  wife 
to  my  office  with  a  letter,  which  had  been  directed  to  me 
at  my  private  residence,  bearing  the  Philadelphia  post- 
mark, and  marked  " Immediate"  I  broke  the  seal,  and 
found  that  the  envelope  contained  another  letter,  directed 
in  a  delicate  female  hand-writing,  to  Mr.  Adolphus  Fitz- 
herbert. 

The  reader  may  imagine  the  feelings  with  which  I 
regarded  this  missive.  I  had  never  seen  Miss  Fitzher- 
bert's  hand-writing ;  but,  what  other  female  was  likely  to 
write  to  Adolphus,  and  to  direct  the  letter,  under  cover, 
to  me  ?  was  the  question  I  put  to  myself.  I  turned  over 
again  and  again,  the  outside  envelope,  in  hopes  to  find 
some  clue  to  the  mystery,  but  not  a  word  of  explanation 
had  been  written.  I  examined  the  hand-writing.  It 
was  written  in  a  bold,  clerkly  style ;  but  I  could  not; 
recollect  that  I  had  ever  seen  it  before ;  at  all  events, 
I  could  not  recognize  it.  Under  the  circumstance.-,  1 
thought  it  inadvisable  to  wait  until  I  returned  home  at 
night  before  1  delivered  the  letter  into  the  hands  of  Adol- 
phus ;  and  I  also  thought  that  it  would  be  better  that 
i.  should  be  present  when  he  opened  it,  as  it  might  con- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  38 

tain  matter  of  importance,  even  if  it  were  not  from  his 
sister.  Perhaps,  too,  curiosity  bad  a  little  to  do  in  the 
matter ;  for,  alter  all,  let  folks  say  what  they  may,  curio- 
sity is  a  failing  not  exclusively  confined  to  the  fairer  por- 
tion of  the  creation.  At  all  events,  although  I  was  rather 
pressed  with  business,  after  a  little  cogitation,  I  deter- 
mined to  be  the  bearer  of  the  letter,  myself,  whether  it 
boded  good  or  evil,  so  I  got  into  the  carriage  with  the 
servant,  and  drove  homewards. 

On  arriving  at  my  house,  I  sent  immediately  for  Adol- 
phus,  who  was  in  his  own  room,  and  who  shortly  made 
his  appearance  with  a  saddened  countenance,  but  with 
a  spirit  of  determination  impressed  upon  his  features, 
which  showed  me  that  he  had  fully  made  up  his  mind 
as  regarded  his  resolution  of  the  previous  evening.  lie 
was  about  to  speak,  thinking,  no  doubt,  that  I  had  sent 
for  him  to  learn  the  purpose  he  had  arrived  at ;  but  I 
stopped  him,  by  silently  placing  the  letter  in  his  hand. 
He  took  it  mechanically,  but  had  no  sooner  glanced  at 
the  superscription,  than  he  exclaimed — 

"Good  God  !  this  is  the  hand- writing  of  my  sister!" 

His  nostrils  quivered,  and  his  lips  trembled  nervously, 
as  he  sat  down  upon  the  sofa  and  hurriedly  tore  off  tho 
envelope.  I  watched  his  countenance  as  he  read  tho 
letter,  but  his  features  did  not  change  their  expression ; 
and,  until  he  had  read  the  last  line,  I  could  form  no  idea 
whether  the  news  he  had  received  was  good  or  bad.  At 
length  he  placed  the  letter  into  rny  hand,  saying — 

"  My  sister,  thank  God,  is  living,  and  is  in  Philadel- 
phia. I  must  go  thither  immediately.  Head  the  letter, 
sir." 

I  did  as  he  desired.     It  ran  thus : — 

"  Market- Street,  Philadelphia. 
"My  DEAR  BROTHER: 

"  God  only  knows  whether  this  letter  will  reach 
you,  or,  if  it  should  reach  you,  whether  it  will  do  so  in 
time  to  be  of  any  avail.  I  have  no  time  to  enter  into 
details,  and  can  only  say  that  I  have,  for  the  last  six 


o* 


34  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

weeks,  been  immured  in  a  chamber  in  the  house  from 
which  I  now  write.  I  was  taken  forcibly  from  New  York, 
and  brought  here,  since  Avhich  time  I  have  been  permit- 
ted to  hold  no  communication  with  any  one  but  those 
connected  with  the  family,  who  have,  however,  other- 
wise treated  me  kindly,  and  paid  every  attention  to  my 
comfort.  Yesterday  I  was  told  by  the  lady — for  those 
who  have  me  in  their  power  appear  to  be  man  and  wife, 
and  both  persons  of  education  and  good  standing  in  so 
ciety — that  I  must  prepare  for  a  sea^voyage ;  that  they 
were  going  to  Italy,  and  that  it  was  the  desire  of  those 
interested  in  my  welfare,  and  who  had  a  right  to  the  dis- 
posal of  my  person,  that  I  should  enter  a  convent  there, 
with  the  view  of  ultimately  taking  the  veil.  I  was  for- 
bidden to  ask  any  questions,  and  those  I  persisted  in 
asking,  were  unanswered.  For  the  fiftieth  time  since 
I  have  been  immured  in  this  house,  I  begged  that  pen 
and  ink  might  be  given  me,  that  at  least  I  might  relieve 

your  and  my  own  anxiety,  and  also  that  of  kind  Mr. ; 

but  the  indulgence  was  refused  me.  Dearest  Adolphus, 
I  was  even  told  you  were  not  my  brother,  and  that  1  had 
relatives  of  rank  in  Europe,  who  claimed  possession  of 
my  person !  You  cannot  imagine  the  harrowing  feelings 
which  have  tortured  me  for  weary  days  and  sleepless 
nights,  ever  since  I  was  torn  from  you:  my  pen  cannot — 
no  words  can  describe  them.  To  think  that  I  must  part 
with  you  thus,  and  for  ever,  and  without  your  knowing 
what  has  become  of  me !  Great  God !  the  idea  is  too 
terrible ;  but  this  I  know,  should  Heaven  so  ordain  it, 
I  shall  not  long  live  to  grieve  over  my  brother's  loss — 
and  then,  dear  Adolphus,  if  we  meet  no  more  on  earth, 
we  may  surely  hope,  according  to  our  dear  mother's  les- 
sons, which  I  learnt  from  your  lips,  to  meet  in  a  happier 
world  But  to  this  I  cannot  reconcile  myself.  As  we 
were  in  childhood,  all  to  each  other,  so  would  I  desire 
that  we  should  remain  while  life  shall  last.  Can  it  be 
possible  that  we  should  thus  be  compelled  forcibly  to 
separate  for  ever  in  this  world?  I  cannot  believe  it. 
God  is  too  good — too  just .  The  only  being  who 


THE   Oltl'UANS    WRONGS. 


85 


has  expressed  pity  fur  me,  is  the  lady's  maid,  or  com- 
panion, and  she  is  fearful  of  showing  it  ;  but  this  evening 
I  conjured  her  to  bring  me  writing  materials,  in  order 
that,  at  least,  I  might  send  you  a  line  to  tell  you  I  am 
still  living.  I  so  wrought  upon  her  feelings,  that  she 
complied,  and  even  promised  that  her  cousin,  who  is  in 
some  situation  in  this  city,  should  enclose  my  letter  to 
Mr.  —  —  ,  for  you.  I  need  not  say  with  what  joy  I  re- 
ceived the  means  of  writing  —  and  now,  by  the  glimmer 
of  a  feeble  lamp,  while  my  keepers  imagine  that  I  am 
sleeping,  or  tossing  upon  my  uneasy  pillow,  (for  who- 
ever they  be,  they  cannot  be  so  dead  to  human  feelings 
as  to  believe  I  can  sleep  in  quiet,  separated  from,  the  only 
earthly  tie  I  possess,  and  ignorant  of  the  fate  in  reserve 
for  me),  I  am  penning  these  unconnected  lines,  for  I  can- 
not collect  my  thoughts  to  write  as  I  would  do,  even  to 
you,  dear  Adolphus;  and,  perhaps,  the  lady's  maid  may 
deceive  rne,  and  not  send  the  letter.  Perhaps  it  is  a 
feint,  to  which  her  master  and  mistress  are  privy,  in  order 
that  they  may  read  what  I  write.  Oh  !  I  am  the  prey 
of  fearful  imaginings  !  but  no,  I  will  not  mistrust  Maria. 
If  she  has  deceived  me,  what  faith  can  I  place  in  any 
human  being?  I  understand,  the  vessel  in  which  I  arn 
to  leave  the  United  States,  will  sail  for  Trieste  on  Wed- 
nesday next—  four  days  hence.  Dear  Adolphus,  if  you 
do  receive  this  letter,  there  is  yet  time  to  save  me.  I 
hear  a  footstep  below,  coming  up  the  stairs,  and  must 
put  out  my  light  and  conceal  this  letter.  Farewell,  Adol- 
phus —  and  whatever  happens,  never  cease  to  remember 

"GEORGIANNA. 


"  P.S.  The  footstep  I  heard  was  Maria's.  She  called 
for  my  letter,  and  says  she  will  deliver  it  faithfully  into 
her  cousin's  hands.  She  speaks  as  though  I  may  believe 
her  —  and  I  will.  God  bless  her  —  and  may  her  kind 
efforts  in  my  behalf  restore  me  to  my  brother.  ((  /-,  „ 

I  perused  the  letter  carefully,  and  then  turned  to  Fitz- 
hcrbert,  who  was  watching  me  with  features  in  which 


36  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

earnestness  and  suppressed  emotion  were  perceptible  in 
every  lineament. 

"  I  must  go  immediately  to  Philadelphia,"  he  repeat- 
ed, rising  from  the  sofa,  as  he  received  back  his  sister's 
letter. 

".We  must  both  go  and  that  immediately,"  I  replied. 
"  This  is  Monday.  If  the  vessel  in  which  Miss  Fitzher- 
bert  says  she  is  to  take  passage,  for  Italy,  sails  on  Wed- 
nesday, and  the  letter  itself  be  not  a  forgery,  there  is  no 
time  to  lose.  We  shall  start  this  evening,  and  shall  ar- 
rive there  early  in  the  morning." 

"  The  letter  is  no  deception,"  said  Fitzherbert,  "  and  I 
can  swear  to  my  sister's  handwriting.  Let  us  prepare  to 
start." 

I  could  not  help  admiring  the  composure  and  steady 
determination  of  the  young  man  now  that  he  had  some 
purpose  in  view.  All  his  wavering  fretful  ness  disap- 
peared as  if  by  magic.  He  expressed  no  violent  emo- 
tions of  delight,  for  as  yet  neither  of  us  knew  how 
matters  might  turn  out,  but  calmly  advised  with  me 
what  course  we  had  best  to  pursue.  We  then  packed 
our  carpet  bags,  and,  in  the  course  of  an  hour,  were  on 
our  way  to  the  Sister  City.  Of  the  three  parties  inter- 
ested, my  wife  was  the  most  agitated  when  she  was  in- 
formed of  the  result  of  our  private  conference.  She  could 
scarcely  restrain  her  emotion,  for,  poor  woman,  she  had 
never  ceased  to  reproach  herself  for  her  heedlessness  in 
permitting  Miss  Fitzherbert  to  go  abroad  during  our  ab- 
sence from  the  city. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  Philadelphia,  we  put  up  at  my 
customary  stopping  place,  Jones'  Hotel,  and  then  con- 
sidered what  would  be  the  most  advisable  step  for  us  to 
take  next.  We  had  not  learnt  either  the  number  of  the 
house  in  Market-street,  nor  the  names  of  the  persons  who 
had  illegally  obtained  possession  of  the  young  lady,  and, 
therefore,  to  waste  our  limited  time  in  the  endeavor  to 
find  the  residence  of  Miss  Fitzherbert  would  have  been 
useless ;  besides,  for  aught  we  know,  the  poor  girl  might 
have  been  misinformed  as  to  the  name  of  the  street  itself, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  37 

for  it  was  very  probable  that  the  lady's  maid,  although 
moved  by  compassion  to  procure  the  materials  of  .writing 
for  her,  would  hesitate  ere  she  involved  her  employers 
in  trouble,  and  I  thought  it  was  very  evident  that  she 
was  connected  with  the  business,  or  with  the  principals 
in  the  affair,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  involve  herself  in 
some  difficulty  should  the  parties  be  arrested.  '  In  fact, 
accustomed  as  I  was,  through  the  nature  of  my  profession 
to  scan  narrowly  and  jealously  the  actions  of  mankind  in 
matters  of  difficulty  or  danger,  I  viewed  the  letter  in  the 
same  light  as  I  should  have  done  had  it  fallen  into  my 
hands  from  one  of  the  opposing  party  in  a  case  in  which 
I  was  retained,  who  had  from  compassion  or  some  other 
cause,  shown  a  desire  to  assist  my  client  without  involv- 
ing himself  further  than  he  could  avoid.  I  again  care- 
fully read  the  letter, -and  coupled  with  the  asseverations 
of  Fitzherbert  that  it  was  assuredly  in  his  sister's  hand- 
writing, I  could  not,  with  all  my  caution,  come  to  any 
other  conclusion  than  that  it  was  genuine.  "  What, 
then,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  could  -have  been  the  motives 
that  prompted  this  woman  to  give  Miss  Fitzherbert  the 
means  of  communicating  with  her  friends  ?  and  why  has 
she  delayed  doing  so,  until  almost  the  day  appointed  for 
her  departure  for  Italy.  Compassion,  I  have  no  doubt, 
was  the  moving  cause,  but  why  the  delay  if  she  has  not 
some  object  in  view,  and  that  most  likely  the  safety  of 
herself  and  those  with  whom  she  is  connected.  That  she 
was  in  earnest,  is  shown  by  her  prompt  dispatch  of  the 
letter;  nor  is  it  likely  she  sent  it  without  knowing  what 
information  it  contained ;  therefore  she  must  be  desirous 
that  the  poor  girl  should  be  rescued.  Her  not  giving 
Miss  Fitzhcrbert  the  number  of  the  house  is  satisfactory 
proof  to  me  that  she  wishes  to  disguise  her  own  action  in 
the  matter,  and  her  allowing  it  to  be  known  to  the  young 
lady's  brother  that  she  is  to  sail  in  a  vessel  bound  to 
Trieste  is  also  proof  that  she  desires  he  should  be  on 
board  the  vessel  on  the  day  of  her  sailing,  in  order  to 
search  the  ship  and  claim  his  sister." 

Having  thus  cogitated  with  myself,  I  came  to  the  con- 


38  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

elusion  that  the  object  was  a  rescue  from  the  vessel  at 
the  last  moment  in  order  to  allow  the  escape  of  the  ab 
ductors.  I  mentioned  this  to  Adolphus,  who  was  of  the 
same  opinion  as  myself,  and  our  next  step  was  to  ascer- 
tain whether  any  vessel  was  really  on  the  point  of  sailing 
for  Trieste,  rather  an  unusual  thing  at  that  period  in 
Philadelphia.  We  discovered  from  the  shipping  lists  that 
such  was  really  the  case,  and  that  the  Giovanni  brig  was 
to  leave  on  the  following  day.  This  was  still  further 
corroboration  of  the  truth  and  correctness  of  the  state- 
ments made  in  the  letter,  although  I  was  still  doubtful 
whether  it  had  not  been  all  a  feint — of  course,  without 
Miss  Fitzherbert's  connivance — to  throw  us  off  the  scent ; 
"but  then,"  I  argued,  "  why  allow  her  to  write  at  all  ?" 

Desirous  to  avoid  any  movement  that  might  lead  to 
suspicion,  we  made  no  further  inquiries  respecting  the 
vessel ;  but  contented  ourselves  with  walking  along  the 
wharves  until  we  discovered  at  which  pier  she  was  lying, 
and  then  we  stood  at  the  corner  of  Pine-street  apparently 
carelessly  scanning  her  appearance,  with  the  full  deter- 
mination of  being  on  board  in  the  morning  with  a  war- 
rant for  her  detention  until  we  had  ascertained  she  had 
sailed  without  Miss  Fitzherbert. 

While  thus  standing  just  as  it  was  growing  dusk — for 
after  having  made  the  necessary  arrangements,  we  had 
again  walked  to  the  pier — a  young  man  with  a  slightly 
foreign  accent,  asked  Adolphus  if  his  name  was  Fitz- 
herbert ? 

"  It  is,"  he  replied. 

"Then,  sir,"  said  the  stranger,  "I  am  to  give  you  this 
note,"  and  placing  a  letter  in  Fitzherbert's  hand,  he 
hastily  withdrew  and  was  lost  to  sight  in  a  moment. 

It  struck  us  both  immediately  that  this  singular  cir- 
cumstance had  some  connection  with  the  errand  we  had 
come  to  Philadelphia  upon,  and  as  it  was  already  too 
dark  to  read  in  the  streets,  we  immediately  adjourned 
to  the  nearest  tavern.  The  letter  was  seemingly  in  a 
woman's  handwriting,  and  in  broken  English,  evidently 
in  an  Italian  idiom,  but  it  was  perfectly  easy  to  under- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  39 

stand,  and  I  shall  therefore  render  it  into  good  English 
for  the  benefit  of  my  readers.  It  bore  no  date,  but 
simply  said: 

"  After  much  consideration,  my  better  feelings  have 
prevailed.  On  Saturday  last  I  furnished  Miss  Fitzher- 
bert  with  materials,  in  order  that  she  might  write  to  the 
brother  whom  she  so  deeply  mourns.  I  was  still  doubt- 
ful whether  to  send  the  letter  ;  but  the  poor  young  lady's 
pleading,  trusting  look,  when  she  placed  it  in  my  hands, 
at  once  overpowered  me  and  I  caused  it  to  be  sent.  My 
feelings  of  compassion  once  enlisted  in  her  behalf,  I  could 
not  stop  their  current.  She  was  confident  that  if  her 
brother  was  in  New  York  and  received  the  letter,  he 
would  be  here  to  save  her.  She  told  me  this,  and  again 
fears  for  myself  and  those  to  whom  I  am  irrevocably 
bound,  almost  overcame  what  our  Order  would  consider 
my  criminal  weakness.  In  fact  I  had  laid  myself  open 
to  the  penalty  of  death.  I  could  still  have  prevented  her 
brother  from  obtaining  possession  of  her;  but  my 
woman's  heart  forbade  me.  I  once,  when  little  more 
than  a  child  in  mia  belto  Italia,  had  a  brother  and  other 
earthly  ties,  whom  I  devotedly  loved,  and,  alas !  who 
loved  me.  That  is  past.  I  dare  not  think  of  it  or  my 
heart  would  break.  My  duty  now  is  due  alone  to  the 
superiors  of  my  Order.  I  am  the  bride  of  Heaven. 
Enough  of  this.  I  would  save  myself;  I  would  release 
Miss  Fitzherbert,  and  I  would  prevent  any  evil  befalling 
my  coadjutors.  I  trust  then  to  her  brother's  honor.  He 
will  not  harm  the  woman  who  has  restored  to  him  his 
sister.  Miss  Fitzherbert  described  her  brother  to  me, 
also  a  friend  who  she  believed  would  be  with  him.  I 
have  told  my  cousin  to  watch  if  such  persons  arrive,  and 
if  so  to  give  this  letter  to  hirn  who  answered  to  the  name 
of  Fitzherbert. 

"Take  no  violent  steps.  Miss  Fitzherbert  will  be  con- 
veyed on  board  the  vessel  before  da}'light  to-morrow. 
Beat  this  spot,  and  when  you  see  a  white  'kerchief  wave 
from  a  coach  window,  ibliow  the  coach  to  the  pier.  I 


40  THE  ^AWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

shall  be  with  her,  and  also  one  whom  I  can  trust — one 
who  is  bound  by  oath  to  obey  my  will.  Miss  Fitzher- 
bert  will  be  delivered  into  your  hands  -when  she  leaves 
the  carriage.  Hasten  away  immediately.  For  the  rest 
I  have  so  managed  that  no  suspicion  shall  attach  to  me. 
Be  silent  for  the  present,  the  time  may  come  when  you 
will  know  more.  MARIA." 

The  perusal  of  this  strange  epistle  gave  us  a  fresh 
clue  to  the  object  of  Miss  Fitzherbert's  abduction.  We 
had  no  doubt  that  it  was  planned  by  the  contestants  of 
the  English  property,  although  we  were  ignorant  how 
they  became  aware  of  her  being  in  New  York,  at  the 
period  of  the  abduction,  and  also  of  the  method  they 
had  employed.  We  determined,  however,  to  act  as  we 
had  been  directed  to  do,  and  considered  ourselves 
bound  in  honor,  in  consideration  of  the  compassionate 
feelings  of  the  female  who  had  assisted  her,  not  to  take 
the  violent  measures  which  she  deprecated. 

We  accordingly  dispensed  with  the  attendance  of  the 
legal  force  we  had  requested  to  meet  us  on  board  the 
vessel  on  the  following  morning,  and,  agreeably  to  our 
instructions,  were  at  the  appointed  rendezvous  at  a 
very  early  hour;  in  fact,  we  procured  a  carriage  to 
await  us  there,  and  determined  to  remain  on  the  spot 
all  night  ourselves. 

Ado]phus  was  much  agitated,  and  I  had  much  diffi- 
culty in  controlling  my  feelings.  However,  we  sum- 
moned all  the  patience  we  could  to  our  aid. 

About  three  o'clock  we  observed  a  close  carriage 
coming  down  Pine-street  towards  the  wharf,  and  as  it 
passed  the  spot  where  we  were  standing,  the  window 
was  slightly  raised,  and  a  white  handkerchief  shown  for 
a  moment.  We  rushed  after  the  carriage,  which  stop- 
ped a  few  rods  further  on,  and  we  observed  two  females 
and  a  stout  built  man  alight  from  it.  We  were  on  the 
spot  in  a  second,  and  in  another  moment  Georgiana  had 
fainted  in  her  brother's  arms.  A  closely  veiled  female 
approached  me,  and  placing  her  finger  to  her  lips  whisp- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  41 

ered,  "Leave  here  quickly,  and  be  silent."  Her  beard- 
ed companion  and  herself  then  went  on  board  the  vessel 
and  the  empty  vehicle  was  driven  away.  Between  us 
we  bore  the  fainting  girl  to  the  carriage,  we  .ourselves 
had  in  waiting,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  Georgiana 
was  safe  at  our  hotel. 

It  long  was  before  she  was  sufficiently  composed  to 
speak  to  us,  and  she  almost  franticly  gave  way  to  the 
feelings  of  joy  which  her  restoration  to  her  brother  had 
given  rise  to.  Poor  Adolphus  bore  himself  manfully 
and  endeavored  to  soothe  the  agitated  girl  as  much  as 
possible,  and  when  she  became  more  composed,  we  in- 
sisted, anxious  as  we  were,  that  before  any  explanations 
were  given,  she  should  retire  and  take  some  repose. 

In  the  evening  she  had  sufficiently  recovered  her 
composure  to  state  to  us  the  circumstances  of  the  ab- 
duction : 

u  I  was  admiring  and  showing  to  the  children,"  said 
she,  "  a  picture  in  a  shop  window  in  Broadway,  when 
the  fire  bells  rang  and  a  crowd  shortly  rushed  past,  with 
an  engine  running  on  the  sidewalk,  compelling  the 
people  to  scatter  in  every  direction.  The  servant  girl 
took  hold  of  the  children  and  I  turned  down  a  by  street 
to  escape  the  crush.  When  the  crowd  had  in  some  mea- 
sure passed  by,  1  looked  about  for  the  servant,  but  I 
could  not  see  her,  and  after  waiting  some  time,  I  thought 
I  would  find  my  way  home  alone.  'There  was  still  a 
number  of  people  running  to  the  fire  in  Broadway,  and 
to  avoid  them  I  pursued  my  way  along  a  narrow  street 
which  ran,  as  1  thought,  parallel  to  the  great  thorough- 
fare, intending,  ai'ter  proceeding  some  little  distance, 
airain  to  turn  into  Broadway.  The  street  I  was  in  was 
comparatively  deserted  ;  but  a  man  passed  me,  who  1  re- 
cognized as  having  closely  observed  me  when  inquiring 
at  the  Post-office  for  a  letter  from  my  brother.  Ho 
passed  me  at  a  rapid  pace  and  stopped  a  short  distance 
ahead,  at  the  corner  of  a  cross  street,  and  held  some  con- 
versation with  another  man  muffled  in  a  cloak,  who  re- 
sembled, as  I  thought,  the  individual  who  had  persuaded 


42  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

Adolphus  to  go  to  Boston.  I  could  not  be  sure  it  really 
was  he,  but  I  became  alarmed  and  turned  up  the  next 
street  I  came  to.  They  must  have  dodged  me,  some- 
how or  other,  for  in  a  few  moments  I  again  saw  them 
before  me.  I  thought  the  better  way  would  be  to  pass 
them  without  appearing  to  observe  them,  as  they  wero 
now  sauntering  slowly  along ;  but  before  I  carne  up 
with  them,  the  latter  of  the  two,  he  whom  I  fancied 
was  my  brother's  persecutor,  turned  off  in  another  di- 
rection. The  man  with  him  stopped  opposite  a  court- 
yard, and  as  I  was  passing,  he  seized  and  dragged  me 
into  it,  covering  my  mouth  with  his  hands,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent me  from  giving  any  alarm.  I  struggled  violently, 
but  I  might  as  well  have  sought  to  wrestle  with  a  giant, 
and  I  was  borne  into  a  house  in  the  court.  I  was  as- 
sured that  no  harm  was  intended  me,  provided  I  re- 
mained quiet,  and  was  left  in  the  room  with  two  el- 
derly females  until  evening. 

It  must  have  been  a  very  late  hour  of  the  night 
when  a  lady  and  gentleman,  apparently,  were  shown 
into  the  room,  and  the  two  women  who  had  kept  ward 
over  me  left  us  to  ourselves. 

My  new  visitors,  who  were  the  same  persons  who 
have  detained  me  for  so  many  weeks  in  this  city,  spoke 
to  me  kindly.  They  assured  me  that  all  they  were  doing 
would  be  eventually  for  my  benefit ;  but  that  to  attempt 
to  escape  would  be  useless,  and  would  only  lead  to  rigid 
treatment  I  should  otherwise  avoid. 

"  1  was  too  distressed  to  utter  a  word  further  than  to 
beg  of  them  to  let  me  go  home,  for  I  partly  hoped  my 
brother  would  be  back  from  Boston  that  night,  and  I 
knew  what  a  state  of  agonizing  suspense  he  would  be  in 
were  I  not  to  return.  All  my  entreaties,  however,  were 
of  no  avail,  and  in  the  course  of  another  hour,  a  coach 
came  to  the  door,  and  I  was  hurriedly  placed  in  it  by 
the  gentleman,  who,  after  assisting  the  lady  in,  also  en- 
tered it  himself.  I  attempted  to  call  for  assistance,  but 
was  prevented  from  doing  so  by  the  gentleman.  Avho 
placed  a  muffler  to  my  mouth,  while  the  lady  continued 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  43 

to  assure  me  that  I  would  be  well  treated  if  I  remained 
quiet.  I  must  have  fainted,  for  I  can  recollect  nothing 
further,  until,  towards  daylight,  I  found  I  had  been 
transferred  to  another  vehicle,  in  which  was  seated  a  se- 
cond female,  whom,  I  afterwards  .found  was  the  com- 
panion of  the  lady,  and  the  same  who  allowed  me  to 
make  known  my  situation  to  my  brother.  I  could  sec 
that  we  were  on  a  country  road,  but  not  a  word  was 
spoken  to  me  by  either  of  my  three  companions.  After 
some  time  we  approached  a  large  city,  which  I  have 
since  learned. was  Philadelphia,  where  we  now  are. 

"  As  we  entered,  I  was  again  warned,  on  peril  of  my 
life,  to  make  no  attempt  to  escape,  and  not  to  utter  a 
word  to  any  one ;  and  seeing  how  completely  I  was  in 
the  power  of  my  mysterious  companions,  I  knew  it  would 
be  useless  to  do  so,  until  some  more  favorable  oppor- 
tunity arrived.  We  stopped  opposite  a  large  house 
which  I  was  compelled  to  enter,  and  was  shown  by  the 
females  into  a  room  which  I  was  told  I  was  to  consider 
my  own ;  that  I  was  to  be  supplied  with  books  or  any- 
thing I  required  excepting  that  which  I  most  desired, 
the  means  of  communicating  with  my  brother.  This 
was  resolutely  denied  me.  My  meals  were  sent  up  into 
my  room,  but  I  seldom  had  any  company  but  Maria, 
who  spoke  English  very  imperfectly ;  but  who  certainly 
was  a  more  desirable  companion  than  her  mistress,  who 
was  taciturn  and  severe  in  the  extreme. 

So  passed  several  weeks,  during  which  period  I  was 
u  prey  to  the  utmost  distress  of  mind,  arid  the  only  one 
who  seemed  any  way  to  take  an  interest  in  me  was 
Maria.  The  lady  seldom  visited  my  apartment,  which, 
however,  she  always  kept  a  key  of,  Maria  having  another, 
neither,  at  any  time  leaving  the  door  unlocked;  the 
gentleman  I  saw  but  twice  after  the  evening  of  my  ar- 
rival at  Philadelphia. 

About  a  week  ago  the  lady  came  into  my  room  and 
told  me  that  I  was  not  the  brother  of  Adolphus,  but  was 
related  to  several  families  of  wealth  and  importance  in 
Europe;  that  it  was  the  desire  of  those  who  were  my 


44  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

rightful  guardians  that  I  should  enter  a  convent  and  be- 
come a  nun ;  '  perhaps,'  she  said,  '  eventually,  an  ab- 
bess.' They  had  been  long  detained,  she  said,  endeav- 
oring to  procure  a  vessel  going  direct  to  Italy,  and 
now,  having  procured  one,  they  should  sail  in  a  few 
days.  Without  waiting  for  any  reply  she  left  me  with 
Maria. 

I  was  in  an  agony  of  distress,  and  I  could  perceive  that 
Maria  was  more  than  usually  affected  at  the  sight  of  my 
grief.  I  besought  her,  by  the  love  she  bore  her  own 
friends,  to  let  me  at  least  inform  my  brother  that  I  was 
living,  and  where  was  my  destination.  For  a  long  time 
she  demurred  at  this ;  but  at  length,  I  so  _won  upon  her 
feelings  that  she  consented. 

My  letter  will  have  informed  you  of  all  that  occurred 
until  yesterday,  the  day  fixed  for  our  going  on  board  the 
vessel.  Maria  then  told  me  that  she  would  endeavor,  if  I 
promised  to  follow  her  directions,  to  obtain  my  restora- 
tion to  my  brother,  and  she  begged  me  to  describe  his 
appearance,  should  he  come  on  to  Philadelphia,  on  re- 
ceiving the  letter,  which  I  did.  This  morning  before  day- 
light, I  was  placed  in  a  carriage  with  Maria  and  a  strange 
man  whom  1  had  not  before  seen ;  and,  as  we  drove  off, 
I  heard  the  lady  tell  her  maid  that  she  and  her  husband 
would  be  on  board  by  daybreak.  Thank  God!  this 
last  great  sorrow  has  been  spared  me,  and  once  again, 
Adolphus,  I  am  under  your  protection." 

The  Giovanni  sailed  for  Trieste ;  but  what  passengers 
she  carried,  we  took  no  pains  to  inquire.  In  a  few  days 
we  all  returned  to  New  York,  and  the  brother  and  sister, 
to  the  great  relief  of  my  wife,  took  up  their  temporary 
abode  at  my  house. 

Nothing  now  laid  in  the  way  of  my  proceeding  with 
the  investigation  regarding  the  advertisement,  which,  on 
account  of  the  late  attempt  at  a  daring  abduction,  having, 
I  had  no  doubt,  connection  with  it,  considerably  increas- 
ed my  opinion  of  its  importance.  Adolphus  was  now 
most  eager  to  assist  me,  and  I  wrote  to  an  eminent  Eng- 
lish lawyer,  asking  his  co-operation  and  advice.  I  sub- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  45 

sequently  learned  the  cause  of  the  attempt  at  abduction, 
and  the  source  whence  the  information  regarding  Miss 
Fitzherbert  had  been  received ;  but  as  it  will  be  made 
known  in  its  proper  place  in  the  course  of  the  narrative., 
it  would  destroy  the  interest  to  narrate  it  in  this  chapter. 
In  the  next  chapter  I  shall  have  to  enlighten  my  rea- 
ders as  to  the  real  parentage  of  the  brother  and  sister : 
the  singular  incidents  connected  with  their  parents'  mar- 
riage, and  the  actual  nature  of  the  claims  they  were  about 
to  contest,  as  well  as  the  character  of  the  opposing  claim- 
ants, whom  I  suspected  of  having  obtained  partial  pos- 
session, through  frauds  and  misrepresentations  which 
will  be  hereafter  disclosed. 


CHAPTER  III. 

In  which  the  reader  is  transported  back  half  a  century,  and 
is  introduced  to  the  acquaintance  of  some  -well  known  per- 
sonages of  former  days. 

I  MUST  now  transport  the  reader,  in  imagination  to 
London,  and  go  back  in  my  narrative  a  period  of  half  a 
century.  It  will  be  as  well  to  state  that  there  were  then 
in  London  and  indeed  are  now,  a  class  of  private  club- 
houses, differing  from  the  magnificent  establishments  of 
a  more  public  character,  such  as  "White's,"  and  the 
more  modern  "Reform  Club,"  which  are  the  resort  of 
the  nobility  and  gentry  of  the  capital  in  their  leisure 
hours  and  in  which,  indeed,  many  unmarried  men 
occupy  suites  of  apartments  and  take  up  their  town 
residence. 

The  private  club-houses  are  equally  aristocratic  in  cha- 
racter ;  but  in  them  a  more  perfect  familiarity  is  ob- 
served regarding  the  difference  of  rank  and  station.  Here 
all  meet  as  gentlemen  on  an  equal  footing,  and  the  for- 
mula of  addressing  those  present  by  their  titles,  is  dis- 
pensed with.  The  balloting  which  is  necessary  to  per 


46  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

mit  the  privilege  of  the  entree  to  a  new  member,  is,  there- 
fore, if  possible,  even  more  strict  than  at  the  great  club- 
houses, in  order  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  the  admit- 
tance of  persons  not  considered  to  be  of  sufficiently  high 
family,  to  become  members,  and  in  these  places  of  com- 
parative seclusion,  some  very  strange  projects  have  been 
hatched  and  brought  to  a  consummation,  which  if  gen- 
erally known  to  the  world,  would  be  considered  as  com- 
promising the  blood  of  many  a  family  tracing  their  line- 
age from  the  Norman  conquest,  and  boasting  to  belong, 
by  the  purest  pedigree,  to  the  ultra  aristocracy  of  the 
kingdom. 

About  the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  a 
splendid  mansion  in  Cavendish  Square,  London,  was  oc- 
cupied as  a  private  club-house,  and  one  evening  in  De- 
cember, a  large  assemblage  of  gentlemen  were  seated  in 
a  magnificent  drawing-room  on  the  second  floor,  which 
was  brilliantly  lighted  with  elegant  chandeliers  of  cut 
glass,  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  in  each  of  which  was  a 
profusion  of  wax  candles,  the  pendants  reflecting  their 
light  in  all  the  colors  of  the  prism,  and  the  plate  glass 
mirrors,  which,  interspersed  with  beautiful  paintings,  co- 
vered the  walls,  again  reflecting  the  images  of  the  chan- 
deliers and  appearing  to  quintuple  their  number.  The 
floor  was  covered  with  a  Turkey  carpet,  soft  as  velvet  to 
the  feet,  and  about  the  large  apartment  were  strewn 
chairs,  lounging  couches,  and  ottomans,  without  any  ap- 
parent order,  while  perhaps,  a  dozen  tables  of  highly  po- 
lished mahogany  were  placed  in  different  parts  of  the 
room,  at  each  end  of  which  blazed  a  bright  and  cheerful 
fire,  the  intense  heat  of  which  was  modified  to  those  who 
were  seated  in  too  close  proximity  to  it  by  a  large  plate 
glass  screen,  pure  and  without  blemish,  allowing  the 
bright  glow  of  the  kennel  coal  to  be  seen  without  the 
heat  being  disagreeably  felt. 

Around  the  table  were  seated  groups  of  gentlemen, 
some  engaged  in  conversation,  others  perusing  the  news- 
papers and  periodicals  of  the  day — again  others  were 
amusing  themselves  at  chess  or  cards,  or  by  throwing  the 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  47 

dice,  or  making  up  their  betting-books  for  some  aristo- 
cratic sporting  match  that  was  shortly  to  come  off.  But 
one  or  two  tables  were  unoccupied,  when  a  gentleman  ap- 
parently about  thirty  years  of  age,  entered  the  room,  and 
nodding  familiarly  to  two  or  three  friends,  without  speak- 
ing, he  singled  out  one  of  the  unoccupied  tables,  and 
seated  himself  beside  it,  at  the  same  time  taking  up  a  ma- 
gazine which  laid  upon  it  and  carelessly  turning  over  its 
pages.  The  new  comer  was  attired  in  the  very  extreme, 
of  the  somewhat  grotesque  fashion  of  the  "  bucks,"  as 
they  were  then  termed,  of  the  day.  A  sky  blue  coat, 
with  gilt  buttons,  powdered  hair  tied  up  in  a  black  silk 
bag  behind,  a  long  flapped,  embroidered  vest  and  a  pro- 
fusion of  shirt-frill,  giving  to  his  breast  the  form  of  a 
pouter  pigeon's,  among  which  blazed  a  quantity  of  jew- 
elry, comprised  the  upper  portion  of  his  attire,  which  was 
completed  by  white  plush  small  clothes,  flesh-colored 
silk  stockings  and  low-quartered  shoes,  with  diamond 
buckles.  His  small  clothes  were  also  fastened  at  the 
knee  with  buckles  of  the  same  description,  and  lace  ruf- 
fles of  the  finest  and  most  rare  quality,  half  covered  his 
hands,  on  the  fingers  of  which  glittered  some  half  dozen 
jewelled  rings. 

This  somewhat  remarkable  personage  having  sat  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  looking  over  the  magazine,  glanced 
somewhat  impatiently  at  the  ormolu  clock  which  was 
fixed  on  the  wall  of  the  room  over  the  fireplace,  and 
compared  its  time  with  that  of  a  large  gold  repeater 
which  he  took  from  his  fob  and  from  which,  attached  to 
a  broad,  black  silk  ribbon,  bung  a  perfect  labyrinth  of 
seals.  The  longer  he  sat,  the  more  impatient  and  uneasy 
he  seemed  to  grow,  and  the  watch  was  repeatedly  con- 
sulted, as  though  the  inspection  would  cause  time  to  fly 
with  greater  rapidity. 

"  Strange,  egad !"  he  muttered  to  himself,  "  that  he  does 
not  come.  It  is  now  growing  close  upon  the  hour,  and 
all  my  arrangements  will  be  useless  if  we  are  not  prompt 
in  attendance.  He  has  got  into  some  adventure  again, 
and  with  his  usual  recklessness,  lias  forgot  all  about  our 


48  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

appointment.  Heigh  ho !  they  say  the  jackall  feeds  well 
by  smelling  out  game  for  the  lion,  and  trusting  to  his  su- 
perior powers  in  hunting  it  down,  afterwards  banquetting 
on  the  spoils.  "Well,  I  don't  do  amiss,  its  true  ;  but  after 
all,  this  hanging  on  the  skirts  of  others,  is  wearisome 
work.  All  my  trouble  and  persuasion  in  endeavoring  to 
bring  that  scheming  money-lender,  Mordecai,  into  rea- 
sonable terms,  thrown  away.  He'll  want  twenty  per  cent 
more  to-morrow ;  and  then,  the  appointment  in  Bond- 
street.  That  was  to  be  at  ten  o'clock,  and  now  it's  past 
eight,  and  we  must  see  Mordecai  first ;  too  bad — too  bad. 
Egad!  here  he  comes  at  last,"  he  added,  as  a  stout,  portly, 
but  remarkably  handsome  man,  of  perhaps  thirty-five 
years  of  age,  entered  the  room,  and  glancing  round  it, 
encountered  the  eyes  of  the  speaker,  and  made  his  way 
to  the  table  at  which  he  was  seated.  Several  gentlemen 
who  were  seated  at  the  other  tables,  observed  the  en- 
trance of  the  new  comer;  but  as  if  by  some  preconcerted 
arrangement,  none  appeared  to  notice  him  except  those 
to  whom  he  bowed  or  said  a  few  words  of  ordinary  salu- 
tation. These  however,  replied  to  them  with  more  than 
ordinary  courtesy. 

The  attire  of  the  gentleman  who  had  just  entered  the 
apartment  was  very  different  from  that  of  the  companion 
by  whose  side  he  seated  himself,  although  it  was  the 
counterpart  of  that  of  several  others  in  the  room.  He 
would  have  been  taken  anywhere,  so  far  as  his  drcts 
went,  for  a  wealthy  country  gentleman ;  it  consisting 
simply  of  a^  brown  coat,  cut  after  the  fashion  of  the 
day,  white  buckskin  breeches  and  yellow  top  boots,  an 
article  of  dress  then  much  aifected  by  gentlemen  in  or- 
dinary or  walking  costume.  His  hair  was  not  disfigured 
by  powder,  but  was  dressed  with  great  care  in  curls  all 
over  his  head  ;  it  was  of  a  rich  chestnut  color  and  ad- 
mirably set  off  his  fair  and  somewhat  florid  complexion. 
His  features  were  good  and  even  intellectual ;  his  figure 
though,  as  1  have  said,  somewhat  stout,  was  also  tall  and 
graceful  and  the  rather  nonchalant  elegance  of  his  deport- 
ment and  the  easy  simplicity  of  his  manners  bespoke 


K    HROTIIKR  AND  SISTER  IN  CONVERSATION  AT   MR.   HUGHES'  HOUSE. 

S«  chapter,  XXX 1 1. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  49 

the  perfect  gentleman.  The  only  fault  that  any  one  could 
have  found,  was  that  his  countenance  already  betrayed 
that  he  indulged  too  freely  in  high  living  and  the  grati- 
fication of  the  animal  passions,  but  even  this  was  only 
apparent  to  a  keen  observer. 

"All  right,  eh!  All  settled,  Brummell,  is  it?"  was 
his  salutation  to  the  gentleman  who  had  waited  so  im- 
patiently for  him. 

"  It  may  be,  George,  if  we  make  haste,"  replied  the 
individual  addressed,  in  a  somewhat  vexed  tone  of 
voice,  which  however,  was  still  marked  by  great 
courtesy  and  even  obsequiousness  of  manner.  "  But 
surely  you  must  have  mistaken  the  time  appointed  to 
meet  me  here.  We  have  barely  time  to  reach  the 
Minories  by  nine  o'clock,  and  hard  work  I  assure,  you 
I  had  to  bring  Mordecai  to  terms.  He  will  put  on  a 
fresh  screw,  depend  upon  it,  if  we  fail  in  our  appoint- 
ment to-night  and  then  there  is  the  other  appointment 
in  Bond-street  at  ten." 

"  Oh,"  replied  the  gentleman,  whom  he  had  ad- 
dressed by  the  name  of  George,  laughingly.  "  Eleanor 
can  wait  till  eleven ;  but  let's  be  off,  Brummell.  I  have 
a  private  cab  at  the  corner  of  the  square,  waiting  for  us, 
for  I  was  so  well  engaged  in  Curzon-street  that  I  was 
not  aware  of  the  rapid  flight  of  time  and  was  really 
quite  alarmed  when  I  looked  at  my  repeater,  for  the 
money  is  a  sine  qua  non  ;  by  hook  or  by  crook,  Mordecai 
must  hand  it  over  to-night.  What  said  the  old  fellow, 
Brummell '/" 

"  More  than  ever  he  said  before,"  was  the  reply : 
"  when  I  told  him  he  must  raise  five  thousand  pounds 
to-night,  he  at  first  said  he  was  utterly  unable  to  do  so ; 
that  the  interest  of  the  last  ten  thousand  was  overdue, 
and  the  whole  amount,  reckoning  that  now  demanded, 
was  nearly  sixty  thousand  pounds,  for  which  he  had  no 
security  but  your  signature.  He  even  went  so  far  as 
flatly  to  refuse  at  first,  and  threatened  to  acquaint  your 
lather  of  the  claims  he  had  upon  you." 

"  What !"  said  the  other,  interrupting  him,  while  a 
3 


50  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

flush  came  over  his  countenance,  ''  the  villain  dare  not  do 
that.  No  security  !  has  he  not  my  honor?  Ah  !  times 
are  sadly  changed  since  the  good  old  days  when  I  could 
have  extracted  a  tooth  from  the  head  of  the  old  rascal, 
for  every  refusal  he  gave,  if  indeed  he  has  any  left  in  his 
wizened  gums.  No  security  indeed !  what  further  se- 
curity can  he  need  ?" 

A  smile  flitted  across  the  features  of  Brummell,  as 
he  muttered  to  himself  something  about  putting  ones 
trust  in  princes ;  but  he  did  not  allow  his  companion 
to  perceive  it,  and  observing  his  ruffled  temper,  he 
said — 

"  Calm  yourself,  sir,  calm  yourself  I  managed  to 
make  it  all  right  before  I  left  him;  and  now  let  us 
away  at  once." 

The  two  gentlemen  then  rose  and  quitted  the  room 
together,  apparently  as  unnoticed  as  they  had  entered. 
The  effects  of  irritation  must  have,  however,  been  still 
perceptible  in  the  countenance  of  Brummeirs  friend, 
for  after  they*  had  left,  one  of  the  gentlemen  present 
said — 

"  What's  in  the  wind  I  wonder — the  prince  seems 
annoyed  to-night  ?" 

"  1  fancy,"  said  another,  "  he  has  met  writh  game 
he'll  find  it  hard  to  bring  down.  He  is  completely 
fascinated  with  the  handsome  widow,  Mrs.  Fitzherbert ; 
and  the  lady,  forsooth  !  aspires  to  matrimony ;  and  re- 
fuses to  treat  with  him  on  any  other  terms — at  least, 
so  the  rumor  goes.  It  was  the  common  topic  of  con- 
versation at  White's  to-day  ;  besides,  I  have  my  rea- 
sons for  thinking  that  his  royal  Highness  is  closely 
pressed  for  raoney  just  now,  and  that's  enough  to  vex 
a  saint ;  as  most  of  us  have  felt  at  one  time  or  another." 

A  titter  pervaded  the  immediate  neighborhood  of 
the  speaker,  and  the  subject  was  dropped. 

The  reader  must  now  follow  me  to  a  very  different 
portion  of  the  great  metropolis.  The  two  gentlemen 
whom  it  will  be  already  seen,  were  no  less  personages 
than  the  Prince  of  Wales — subsequently  George  the 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  51 

Fourth — and  the  celebrated  leader  of  the  fashions  and 
jackall  of  the  Prince,  Beau  Brummell,  as  he  was  termed, 
on  account  of  his  singular  fastidiousness  in  dress,  en- 
tered a  hack  carriage  and  were  driven  from  the  fash- 
ionable locality  they  had  just  quitted,  into  the  city, 
where  the  vehicle  stopped  at  a  house  in  the  Minories. 
Here  they  got  out,  and  Brummell  led  the  way  into  a 
low,  dirty  shop  which  appeared  to  be  stocked  with 
second-hand  goods  of  every  possible  description,  from 
jewelry  apparently  of  enormous  value  to  coats  and  vests 
almost  threadbare,  and  shoes  and  boots  which  certainly 
needed  the  skill  of  the  cobbler,  to  render  them  even 
wearable.  The  housekeeper  could  have  been  supplied 
here  with  every  article  of  household  furniture  she  de- 
sired ;  and,  though  most  had  seen  service  and  were  in 
a  dilapidated  condition,  there  were  many  articles  which 
were  still  scarcely  changed  from  their  pristine  splendor. 

"Vat  you  buy?"  was  tbe  salutation  the  two  gentle- 
men met  with  as  they  entered  this  dirty  storehouse  of 
heterogeneous  stock. 

"  Where's  Mr.  Mordecai?"  said  Brummell. 

"  Mr.  Mordecai  ish  up  stairs,"  was  the  rejoinder  of 
the  dirty  visaged,  shabby-genteel  dressed  youth,  who 
was  officiating  in  his  master's  absence.  "Vat  you  have 
to  shell?"  "Nothing,"  said  Brummell,  impatiently. 
"  Get  along  with  you,  you  cur,  and  tell  your  master  the 
gentlemen  who  promised  to  meet  him  in  private,  this 
evening,  are  waiting.  Off  with  you,  quick!" 

Notwithstanding  the  impatient  tone  in  which  this  last 
order  was  uttered,  the  youth  shuffled  rather  than 
walked  leisurely  along  towards  the  back  part  of  the 
shop,  where  he  bawled  down  a  dingy  staircase,  which 
must  have  led  to  an  apartment  under  ground — "  Ee- 
becca,  come  up  stairs  a  moment." 

A  good-looking  girl  enough,  if  her  black  hair -had 
only  been  untangled  and  brushed  into  something  like 
decency  and  her  face  cleansed  of  the  dirt  which  seemed 
encrusted  upon  it,  answered  the  summons,  and  was  told 
to  stay  and  watch  the  shop  while  the  youth  carried  the 


52  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

message  to  his  master.  "  And,  mind,  'Becca,"  whisp- 
ered he,  as  he  passed  her,  "mind  de  shwells  doesn't 
valk  off  with  none  of  de  goods." 

In  a  few  moments  he  returned  and  requested  the  two 
gentlemen  to  walk  up-stairs  to  his  master. 

They  followed  him  to  a  small  room  on  the  second 
floor,  or  the  first  story,  as  it  is  called  in  England,  which 
was  occupied,  apparently,  as  an  office  by  the  money 
lender. 

It  was  a  dingy,  dusty  looking  place,  the  windows 
appearing  as  though  they  had  never  felt  the  touch  of 
water  since  the  glazier  had  first  inserted  the  panes. 
Around  the  room,  affixed  to  the  walls,  were  a  num- 
ber of  shelves  and  pigeon  holes  which  were  loaded 
with  boxes,  such  as  may  be  seen  in  a  lawyer's  office 
for  the  purpose  of  holding  copies  of  deeds,  &c.,  and 
with  papers  carefully  arranged  and  labelled,  and  tied 
up  with  red  tape. 

The  room  was  dimly  lighted  by  a  solitary  tallow 
candle,  which  flickered  upon  a  table  at  the  further  end 
of  the  apartments  at  which  was  seated  a  man,  perhaps 
sixty  years  of  age,  as  near  as  one  could  judge  :  but  the 
peculiarity  of  his  dress  consisting  chiefly  in  a  coarse 
serge  overcoat  or  surtout  of  a  snuff  color  reaching  to 
his  heels,  and  the  long  thick  beard,  slightly  grizzled, 
which  descended  to  his  waist,  together  with  the  black 
skull  cap  he  wore  on  his  head,  made  him  appear 
older  than  he  really  was.  His  features,  although 
strongly  marked  with  the  expression  of  habitual  cun- 
ning, were  regular,  and  in  youth  or  in  the  prime  of  life 
must  have  been  considered  handsome. 

The  old  man  did  not  rise  from  his  chair  as  the  stran- 
gers entered  the  apartment,  but  motioned  them  to  be 
seated,  saying : 

"  You  can  place  chairs  for  the  shentlemen,  and  leave 
the  room,  Jacob.  Vat  ish  you  standing  gaping  there, 
for  ?"  for  the  youth  appeared,  now  that  he  had  shown 
the  gentlemen  up,  to  be  in  no  hurry  to  go  down  stairs 
again,  no  doubt  seized  with  a  laudable  curiosity  to  know 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  63 

what  bargain  they  were  about  to  strike  with  his  master 
at  that  hour  of  the  night.  However,  on  receiving  this 
order  he  left  the  apartment. 

Mordecai,  the  wealthy  Jewish  money-lender,  was  a 
man  well-known  to  the  fast  portion  of  the  young  aristo- 
cracy of  England  at  the  period  of  which  I  write,  and 
George,  Prince  of  Wales,  was  deep  in  his  books.  In  fact, 
the  prince  never  had  sufficient  money  at  his  command 
to  satisfy  his  extravagant  desires,  notwithstanding  the 
weakness  of  the  old  king  and  the  partiality  of  his  mo- 
ther, Queen  Charlotte,  who  supplied  him  with  a  royal  al- 
lowance, exceeding  that  ever  allowed  the  sons 'of  royalty 
before.  In  addition  to  this,  the  nation  was  taxed,  from 
the  period  of  the  prince's  attaining  his  majority,  to  afford 
him  a  princely  annual  income,  and  a  very  large  revenue 
was  also  drawn  by  him,  in  his  own  right,  from  the  Duchy 
of  Cornwall ;  but  the  coffers  of  England's  treasury  would 
not  have  sufficed  for  the  extravagances  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  had  he  had  his  own  will  in  the  expenditure  of 
that  treasure ;  consequently,  he  was  always  in  debt,  and 
was  deeply  in  the  books  of  more  than  one  of  the  London 
usurers. 

"  Mordecai  of  the  Minories,"  as  he  was  familiarly  termed 
by  his  money-borrowing  acquaintance,  had  advanced  the 
prince  more  money  than  any  of  the  rest,  and  it  was  to 
his  seasonable  aid  he  looked  in  cases  of  emergency.  His 
sudden  and  artlent  admiration  for  Mrs.  Fitzherbert,  had 
led  him  into  unusual  extravagances,  even  for  him,  and  as 
even  princes  sometimes  find  that  the  patience  of  trades- 
men has  its  limits,  he  was  under  the  necessity  of  procur- 
ing ready  money  for  the  purposes  of  purchasing  some 
costly  gifts  he  had  promised  the  lady.  He  dared  not  let 
his  father  or  even  the  Queen  know  of  his  late  unbounded 
extravagance.  Hence  the  immediate  necessity  he  had  for 
five  thousand  pounds. 

Hitherto  his  dealings  with  money-lenders  had  been 
transacted  through  the  medium  of  his  go-between,  Beau 
Brummell ;  but  Mordecai  had  of  late  become  extremely 
hard  to  deal  with,  and  at  length  positively  refused  to  ad- 


54  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

vance  another  penny  unless  he  had  an  interview,  at  least 
with  the  steward  of  the  prince's  household.  It  was  no 
part  of  the  prince's  policy  to  let  this  officer  into  his  se- 
crets, and  therefore,  as  his  person  was  unknown  to  the 
Jew,  he  had  promised  to  accompany  Brummell,  and  him- 
self personate  the  character  of  his  own  master  of  the 
household. 

"  So  you  have  called  about  de  advance  of  dose  mo- 
nish?"  said  the  money-lender,  looking  up  at  Brummell. 
"  It  ish  late,  shentlemen — eight  o'clock  wash  de  hour, 
and  it  is  now  near  nine.  I  shaid  I  would  advance  de 
monish,  though  the  times  ish  hard — very  hard,  indeed, 
and  de  monish  seems  all  to  have  sunk  in  de  ground,  for 
de  sum  of  thirty  per  shent,  provided  you  was  here  at 
eight  o'clock — vid  me  a  bargain  ish  a  bargain;  but  now 
1  shall  vant  more  per  shentage.  This,  I  suppose  ish  de 
gentleman  vat  vash  to  come  vit  you  to  sheal  de  bar- 
gainsh?" 

"It  is,"  replied  Brummell;  "but  my  good  Mordecai, 
have  you  any  conscience  ?  Consider — thirty  per  cent. ; 
money  lent  at  compound  interest  too — for  the  prince,  I 
believe,  has  not  paid  up  the  interest  as  it  fell  due — to  be 
paid  upon  his  royal  highness's  accession  to  the  throne,  if 
not  before.  Why,  my  good  sir,  your  gains  will  be  in- 
calculable." 

"  Very  goot  to  talk  of  my  gains — vere  ish  my  securi- 
ty ?  Dere  is  sixty  tousand  pound  already,  or  near  upon 
it,  besides  interest,  and  no  security  but  the  signature  of 
the  prince.  It  ish -a  very  goot  prince — hash  a  very  pretty 
notion  of  spending  de  monish ;  but  de  prince  may  die, 
and  then  vere  is  my  securities  ?" 

"My  dear  Mordecai,  the  honor  o,f  the  nation  would 
compel  the  government  in  case  of  such  an  unfortunate 
event,  to  pay  all  claims  acknowledged  by  the  signature 
of  the  prince.  George  the  Third  would  drain  the  trea- 
sury, before  he  would  allow  his  son's  name  to  be  dis- 
honored." 

"  Ah  !  all  dat  ish  very  fine  talk ;  but  de  material  se- 


THE  OKPHAN'S  WRONGS.  65 

curities  is  better  than  all  de  fine  words  and  signatures  in 
de  world " 

"  Then,"  suddenly  interrupted  the  prince  himself,  who 
was  getting  disgusted  with  the  conversation,  "  I  am  to 
understand  you  refuse  to  accommodate  the  prince  any 
farther  ?  If  so,  our  conference  may  as  well  be  closed  at 
once." 

"  Nay,  I  did  not  shay  dat;  it  ish  a  very  goot  princs, 
and  I  would  do  all  I  can  ;  butde  monish  is  scarce — very 
scarce.  I  should  have  to  advance  part  in  goods." 

"Well  then,  sir,"  continued  the  prince,  "let  us  hear 
your  terms  at  once,  and  bring  the  business  to  a  conclu- 
sion." 

"  Ah,  dat  ish  fair  and  reasonable — dat  ish  speaking 
like  a  shentleman.  Veil  then,  suppose  we  say  £5000  at 
30  per  shent.,  one  tousand  to  be  advanced  in  wines.  I 
have  some  excellent  wines  in  my  cellar,  fit  for  de  king 
himself." 

"  Confound  your  wines,"  exclaimed  the  prince,  "  such 
a  compound  of  vitriol  and  aloe  leaves  never  was  brewed, 
as  that  which  you  sent  to  Carlton  House,  two  months 
ago." 

"  Yell  den,  if  de  vines  is  not  agreeable,  I  can  shend  an 
assortment  of  walking-sticks,  guns  and  pistols,  and  little 
trinkets  of  jewelry  to  de  amount,"  said  the  Jew,  no  way 
stirred  from  his  composure. 

"By  heavens !"  said  the  prince,  laughing  in  spite  of 
himself,  at  the  ridiculous  idea  of  such  a  consignment 
finding  its  way  into  Carlton  House,  "you  are  an  amusing 

fellow,  Mordecai.  What  the  d 1  would  the  prince 

do  with  your  walking-sticks  and  guns  and  cheap  jew- 
elry?" 

"  My  jewelry  ish  goot,"  retorted  the  money-lender, 
"  and  de  prince  had  better  buy  cheap  jewelry  than  costly 
wares,  de  peoples  ish  to  pay  for." 

"  Are  you  aware,  sir,  in  whose  presence  you  are  giv- 
ing utterance  to  such  sentiments?"  said  the  prince,  in  his 
anger,  forgetting  the  character  he  was  assuming. 

A  momentary  flush  passed  over  the  cold,  calculating 


66  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OB, 

countenance  of  the  money-lender,  as  he  at  once  surmised 
that  it  was  the  Prince  of  Wales,  in  propria  personce.  that 
he  had  been  speaking  to,  and  his  tone  and  demeanor  as- 
sumed an  appearance  of  respect  and  submission,  in  which, 
however,  hypocrisy  seemed  equally  blended  with  the  / 
other  sentiments. 

"I  vash  not  aware  that  my  small,  humble  abode  had 
received  the  honor  of  a  visit  from  the  Prince,"  said  he 
submissively. 

"  Enough,  sir,  enough,"  said  the  prince — "  state  at  once 
whether  you  are  willing  to  grant  the  accommodation  or 
not." 

"  Oh,  certainly — certainly — ve  vill  shay  four  tousand 
down,  and  de  rest  ve  vill  arrange  another  time.  I  vould 
not  be  hard  vid  de  honorable  Prince." 

The  cash  was  necessary,  and  the  Prince  and  his  com- 
panion were  compelled  to  comply  with  the  terms  of  the 
old  usurer,  who  begged  them  to  remain  a  few  moments, 
while  he  went  to  see  a  friend  from  whom  he  could  bor- 
row the  money. 

The  friend  was  his  own  strong  box,  which  was  in  an 
adjoining  apartment,  where,  in  anticipation  of  the  result 
of  the  interview,  the  bank  notes  had  already  been  placed 
early  in  the  evening.  To  give  color  to  his  excuse  of 
absence,  however,  the  Je$v  seated  himself  in  a  chair  in 
his  private  closet,  and  indulged  in  the  following  solilo- 
quy :- 

"So,  it  ish  de  dirty  Jew — de  willain  Jew,  vith  de 
Christians,  till  dey  ish  pinched  for  de  monish,  and  den  it 
ish  goot  Jew — mine  goot  friend — lend  me  de  monish  and 
I  shall  be  eternally  obliged.  Psha!"  and  he  spat  on  the 
floor.  "  Thus,"  he  continued,  "  would  they  spit  on  the 
Jew,  as  he  does  on  them — the  Prince ! — yes,  it  ish  de 
people  who  pays — veil,  it  ish  all  de  same  to  me  so  I  hash 
my  monish — and  dey  think  de  Jews  live  in  squalid  po- 
verty and  misery  to  amass  this  wealth  for  them  to  spend. 
The  Jew  hash  no  charity  !  the  Jew  hash  no  compassion  1 
the  Jew  hash  none  of  earth's  comforts.  Faugh !  Let 
them  come  to  my  house  in  Duke's  Place — let  them  see 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  57 

ipe  with  my  family — let  them  ask  themselves  if  they  see 
a  Jew  mendicant.  How  rarely  a  Jewish  criminal — how 
seldom  a  Jew  without  education.  Pshaw!  the  charity 
of  the  Jew  is  active  in  good  works — that  of  the  Christian 
in  empty  sound." 

The  old  man  sat  a  few  moments  longer,  and  then  rose, 
and  with  the  money  in  his  hand,  returned  to  his  visitors. 
The  terms  were  agreed  upon,  and  the  Prince  signed  his 
name  to  the  contract.  This  signature  the  Jew  compared 
narrowly  with  some  others  attached  to  some  documents 
he  kept  in  his  pocket-book,  and  then,  apparently  satisfied 
with  the  genuineness  of  the  latter,  of  which  perhaps  he 
had  begun  to  entertain  some  doubt,  he  humbly  bowed 
his  royal  visitor  from  the  room. 

When  the  gentlemen  had  gone,  he  summed  up  an  es- 
timate of  his  probable  gain  from  the  transaction,  and  then 
wrapping  himself  up  in  his  cloak,  he  quitted  his  squalid 
place  of  business  in  the  Minories  for  his  comfortable — 
nay,  luxurious  abode  in  Duke's  Place. 

"Ha,  ha!"  he  muttered  to  himself,  as  he  shuffled 
along  the  slushy  pavement;  "he  spends  de  monish — • 
de  people  pays — and  de  Jew  is  de  gainer  by  de  bar- 
gainsh." 

The  two  gentlemen,  meanwhile  descended  the  dark 
staircase,  passed  through  the  shop  and  reached  the  street. 

"  By  Jove,  Brummell,"  said  the  prince,  as  he  drew  a 
long  breath  of  fresh  air :  "  even  the  air  of  the  Minories 
is  a  luxury  afteu  one  has  so  long  been  pent  up  in  that  vile 
den.  Now  to  Kandell  &  Bridge's  to  pay  for  that  casket 
of  Jewelry,  and  then  to  Mrs.  Fitzherbert's."  A  short  walk 
brought  them  to  the  celebrated  jeweller's  on  Ludgate 
Hill,  and  entering  by  a  private  door,  for  the  shop  had 
long  been  closed,  the  casket  containing  a  diamond  neck- 
lace and  earrings,  was  secured  and  paid  for  with  one 
thousand  pounds  of  the  cash  jnst  received.  Again  re- 
turning to  the  street,  they  entered  a  cab  and  ordered  the 
driver  to  set  them  down  in  Bond-street. 

"  Is  your  royal  highness  going  to  appear  before  Mrs. 
Fitzherbert  in  that  costume  ?"  asked  Brummell. 

3* 


58  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

"  And  why  not?"  replied  the  prince,  laughing.  "Do 
you  think  that  I  am  like  you,  my  prince  of  musk  and 
civet,  never  at  ease  unless  Ajuste  a  toutes  pointes.  The 
dress  is  well  enough ;  at  all  events  it  is  too  late  to  think 
of  dress  now — but  here  we  are  at  Bond-street.  I  will  not 
trouble  ypu  to  accompany  me  further.  Au  revoir  my 
dear  Brummell.  I  will  see  you  and  report  progress  to- 
morrow." 

At  this  hint,  Brummell  descended  from  the  vehicle 
and  directed  his  steps  to  his  club,  and  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  ordering  the  driver  to  stop  at  a  large  confection- 
er's shop,  got  out,  paid  the  fare,  and  entering  the  house 
by  a  private  door,  shortly  found  himself  in  the  presence 
of  Mrs.  Fitzherbert. 


CHAPTEE  IY. 

In  which  the  ancestors  of  the  hero  and  heroine  are  introduced 
to  the  reader. 

MRS.  FITZHERBERT,  at  the  period  she  had  so  fascinated 
the  Prince,  was  a  widow,  and  verging  towards  the  forti- 
eth year  of  her  age.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  she  had 
been  twice  married ;  but  this  is  somewhat  doubtful.  It 
is  also  supposed,  although,  as  is  well  known,  she  bore 
issue  to  George,  Prince  of  Wales,  that  she  had  no  chil- 
dren previously ;  this  the  search  it  became  necessary  to 
institute  in  order  to  endeavor  to  correctly  trace  back  the 
historv  of  the  Fitzherbert  orphans,  and  to  substantiate 
their  claims,  and  through  which  I  learnt  the  incidents  I 
have  woven  into  a  narrative  form  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, proved  to  be  false.  Whether  or  not  she  was  twice 
married  and  twice  a  widow,  she  had  borne  a  child  to  her 
husband,  Captain  Fitzherbert. 

Although  at  this  period  past  the  age  when  female 
charms  are  supposed  to  possess  their  greatest  attractions, 
she  was  still  a  most  beautiful  woman.  Time  had  left  no 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  59 

wrinkled  impress  upon  her  countenance,  and  her  fair 
complexion  was  still  as  delicate  as  it  had  been  in  the  days 
of  her  girlhood.  She  had  a  slight  tendency  to  embonpoint, 
it  is  true ;  but  this  was  a  style  of  beauty  which  the  Prince 
of  Wales  affected  to  admire,  so  long  as  it  did  not  degen- 
erate into  too  gross  fulness.  Her  hair  was  .of  a  light 
brown,  and  curled  in  short,  luxuriant  natural  ringlets, 
which,  however,  according  to  the  fashion  of  the  day,  were 
disfigured  by  the  application  of  hair-powder;  her  fea- 
tures were  regular  as  those  of  a  Grecian  goddess,  her 
hands  and  feet  small  and  symmetrical,  and  the  charms 
of  her  person  enhanced  by  the  richness,  yet  graceful  sim- 
plicity of  her  attire,  which  was  so  arranged  as  to  display 
all  her  perfections  of  person  to  the  greatest  possible  ad- 
vantage. She  was  also  a  remarkably  accomplished  wo- 
man for  that  day,  when  the  female  mind  was  not  culti- 
vated as  it  now  is. 

At  the  death  of  her  husband,  who  was  of  a  highly  re- 
spectable and  wealthy  family,  she  had  been  left  the  mis- 
tress of  a  very  comfortable  though  not  large  income,  de- 
rived from  property  in  the  funds;  and  her  society  being 
much  courted  by  the  fashionables  of  the  day  in  conse- 
quence of  her  rare  endowments,  she  had  at  a  soiree  given 
at  a  nobleman's  mansion  in  Picadilly,  fallen  in  with  her 
royal  lover.  Scandal  almost  immediately  followed  this 
introduction — for  the  prince  that  very  evening  had  in- 
sisted upon  escorting  her  home  in  his  own  carriage,  much 
to  the  chagrin  of  many  who  would  have  given  al- 
most any  thing  for  such  a  mark  of  favor;  and  the  envi- 
ous feelings  towards  the  widow  once  having  been  aroused, 
there  was  no  limit  to  the  looseness  of  the  tongue  of 
scandal. 

It  was  soon  discovered  that  from  that  evening  his  royal 
highness  paid  frequent  private  visits  to  the  residence  of 
the  new  object  of  his  fascination,  and  a  ban  was  put  upon 
her  admission  as  a"  welcome  guest  in  the  circles  she  had 
hitherto  moved,  alike  courted,  flattered  and  admired. 
She,  however,  was  a  woman  of  spirit,  and  she  determined, 
possessing  as  she  did,  the  consciousness  of  innocence,  in 


60  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OE, 

so  far  as  the  inuendos  cast  upon  her  reputation  were  con* 
cerned,  to  treat  with  contempt  and  scorn  those  who  had 
insulted  her.  The*  prince  likewise,  at  that  period,  cared 
little  for  anybody  or  anything  that  clashed  with  his  own 
pleasures  or  fancy,  and  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  was  purposely 
included  in  all  the  invitations  to  Carlton  House ;  the 
prince  likewise  frequently  made  it  the  sine  qua  non  as  re- 
garded his  own  visits,  that  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  should  be 
among  the  guests  invited  to  meet  him,  and  as  few  dared 
to  insult  the  heir  apparent,  those  who  wished  to  retain 
his  favor,  were  compelled,  in  spite  of  themselves,  to 
swallow  their  envy  and  indignation  as  best  they  might, 
and  to  witness  the  most  delicate  attention  paid  to  its 
object,  while  they  themselves  .were  comparatively 
slighted. 

The  widow,  however,  could  but  feel  the  covert  insults 
which  were  offered  to  her — no  woman  could  do  other- 
wise— and  she  determined  upon  revenge.  It  was  to  the 
fostering  of  this  feeling  more  than  to  anything  else,  that 
the  prince  found  the  lady  apparently  so  easily  won  to  a 
reciprocation  of  his  own  feelings  towards  her.  In  fact, 
conscious  of  the  power  she  possessed  over  the  Prince, 
she  determined  to  become  his  wife,  if  not  legally  so  ac- 
cording to  the  constitution  of  the  country,  which  de- 
mands a  royal  and  a  Protestant  alliance  (and  Mrs.  Fitz- 
herbert was  a  Roman  Catholic,)  for  the  princes  of  the 
blood  royal,  at  least  his  wife  in  the  eye  of  heaven  and 
according  to  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  her  own  church, 
and  thus  to  still  further  excite  the  spleen  and  envy 
of  her  detractors. 

When  the  prince  entered  the  apartment,  she  was  re- 
clining upon  a  sofa  in  a  richly  furnished  parlor,  look- 
ing over  the  pages  of  a  fashionable  periodical.  She 
rose  as  he  entered,  although  she  retained  her  position 
sufficiently  long  for  him  to  observe  the  graceful  negli- 
gence of  her  attitude,  which  had  been  carefully  studied. « 

"  My  dear  prince,"  said  she,  as  she  advanced  towards 
him,  extending  both  her  hands  which  the  prince  took 
in  his  own,  "  what  a  weary  evening  you  have  caused 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  61 

me  to  pass.  I  expected  you  here  an  hour  ago.  It  is 
now  eleven  o'clock,  and  although  I  am  aware  that  there 
are  reasons  why  you  should  visit  me  secretly  in  this 
humble  abode,  you  should  not  have  caused  me  this  dis.- 
appointment." 

"It  has  been  unavoidable  on  my  part,  dear  Eleanor," 
replied  the  prince,  "  I  came,  as  you  well  may  believe, 
as  soon  as  I  possibly  could ;  but  do  not  call  me  by  the 
formal  name  of  Prince,  Eleanor  :  call  me  George.  You 
are  my  queen,  I  the  most  attached  of  your  subjects  and 
admirers." 

"  Be  it  so,  then,  George,"  she  replied,  emphasizing  the 
name  ;  but  you  are  aware  that  I  can  scarcely  do  so  with 
propriety  considering  the  relations  existing  between  us." 

"  Have  you  considered  the  proposition  I  made  to  you 
on  the  occasion  of  my  last  visit,  Eleanor  ?" 

"  I  have." 

"  And  what  determination  have  you  arrived  at?" 

"  My  determination  remains  unaltered,  dear  George. 
It  is  better  since  fate  interposes  a  barrier  to  our  union, 
according  to  the  absurd  notion  of  courts,  that  this  be  our 
last  private  interview.  I  grieve  and  deplore  that  it 
should  be  unhappily  necessary  ;  but  you,  George,  cannot 
deny  that  it  will  be  best  for  us  both." 

"Can  nothing  alter  your  mind?"  said  the  prince, 
completely  taken  by  surprise  by  this  decision  of  the 
lady's. 

"  Nothing — nothing.  The  world  could  not  tempt  me 
to  an  act  of  dishonor;  my  hand  must  be  given  with 
my  heart,  or  I  will  retain  the  affections  of  the  latter 
in  my  own  keeping,  '  though  it  break  beneath  the  re- 
straint.' " 

There  was  an  expression  of  mournful  feeling  in  the 
tone  in  which  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  uttered  these  words, 
which  had  the  effect  intended  upon  the  heart  of  the 
prince,  while  they  were  spoken  in  a  manner  so  firm 
and  decided  that  he  saw  the  lady  was  in  earnest.  He 
tried  new  arguments,  however,  to  induce  her  to  alter 
her  resolve. 


62  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

"I  need  not  tell  you,"  said  he,  "how  willingly  I 
would  embrace  your  wishes  on  this  point ;  but  you  as 
well  as  I,  are  aware  of  the  restraint  imposed  upon  the 
best  and  holiest  affections  of  the  sons  of  England's 
sovereign.  As  my  wife  in  the  sight  of  heaven,  you  and 
our  offspring  would  never  be  acknowledged  in  the  eye 
of  the  law.  What  then  would  be  your  feelings,  should 
the  country  demand  that  I,  upon  ascending  the  throne 
of  my  father,  should  conclude  a  royal  alliance  with  the 
daughter  of  some  foreign  Court  ?  Could  I  or  you  en- 
dure the  separation  we  must  then  submit  to,  or  could 
you  see  me  ascend  the  throne  of  England,  and  virtually 
deny,  by  refusing  to  declare  you  my  queen,  that  you 
were  my  wedded  wife?" 

"  I  could  dare  all,  if  I  but  retained  the  approving 
smile  of  my  own  conscience.  The  affections  and  the 
rites  of  holy  Mother  Church  are  decreed  by  God,  and 
his  ministers  on  earth,  to  be  the  only  ties  that  shall  bind 
true  love  in  the  bonds  of  wedlock,  not  the  decrees  dic- 
tated by  the  ambition  of  earthly  courts  and  kings.  Once 
again,  dear  George,  though  my  heart  may  break  beneath 
the  weight  of  its  affliction,  I  aver  solemnly,  we  must  part 
to-night  forever,  or  if  your  love,  as  you  avow,  equals 
my  own,  I  must  become  your  lawful  wife." 

"  Then  be  it  so,"  replied  the  prince,  "  I  feel  that  I 
cannot  live  without  you;  be  mine — my  wife,  by  private 
marriage,  according  to  the  rites  of  your  own  church,  and 
let  this  next  week  witness  the  ceremonies  which  shall 
make  us  one ;  and  now,  dear  Eleanor,  I  must  leave  you ; 
take  this,"  said  he,  clasping  the  gorgeous,  sparkling 
necklace  around  the  neck  of  his  ajfiancee,  and  placing  the 
ear-rings  in  her  hand,  "  as  the  first  gift  of  your  betrothed 
husband.  I  had  intended  them  only  as  a  fresh  proof  of 
my  regard.  Your  decision  has  rendered  the  gift  one  of 
another  nature." 

The  compact  was  sealed,  as  I  presume  such  compacts 
usually  are,  and  the  prince  left  the  house  as  secretly  as 
he  had  entered  it,  and  walked  to  Carlton  House,  his  own 
roval  residence. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  63 

Mrs.  Fitzherbert  sat  for  some  moments  in  deep  thought. 
At  length  she  gave  utterance  to  the  following  soli- 
loquy : 

"  And  so,  my  end  is  all  but  gained.  I  have  triumphed ; 
but  at  what  a  cost !  To  gratify  pride  and  ambition,  and 
to  punish  envy  and  malice,  I  have  consented  to  wed 
one  whom  I  do  not — can  never  love ;  and  I  have  sacri- 
ficed a  mother's  love  for  her  only  child.  Oh !  that  I 
now  could  recall  the  words  I  gave  utterance  to  this 
evening ;  or  rather,  would  to  God  I  had  never  dared  to 
commence  this  fearful  ordeal.  My  child,  I  must  disown 
him ;  he  must  never  in  future  know  a  mother's  love 
and  care.  Poor  child  !  but  little  has  he  known  it  since 
I  first  became  infatuated  with  the  desire  of  conquering 
this  obdurate  libertine  and  bringing  him  to  my  feet — 
now  a  year  ago.  To-morrow  is  my  boy's  fifth  birth- 
day, and  I  will  see  him  then,  perhaps  for  the  last  time. 
How  shall  I  bear  the  trial?  Curse  on  the  hapless  hour 
when  my  evil  destiny  first  caused  the  prince  to  regard 
me  with  interest !  Alas  !  a  curse,  I  fear,  must  ever  at- 
tach itself  to  the  mother  whose  ambition  led  her  to  for- 
sake— aye,  to  deny  her  child."  So  saying,  the  unhappy 
lady  buried  her  face  in  her  hands  and  burst  into  tears. 

To  understand  the  cause  of  this  soliloquy,  it  is  ne^ 
cessary  to  inform  the  reader  that  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  when 
she  first  conceived  the  idea  of  turning  the  evident  ad- 
miration of  the  prince,  as  she  believed  to  her  own  ad- 
vantage, had  perceived  that  it  was  necessary  to  disguise 
the  fact  of  her  having  a  child,  and  at  length  on  the 
question  being  put  to  her,  perhaps  on  account  of  in- 
formation the  prince  had  surreptitiously  received,  she 
had,  urged  at  the  moment  by  feelings  of  ambition 
which  absorbed  all  others,  denied  the  fact  and  been, 
of  course,  compelled  to  maintain  the  denial ;  for  she 
was  aware  the  prince  would  never  consent  to  become 
the  father-in-law  of  the  child  of  a  humble  subject  of 
his  own  father's.  The  child  was  nurtured  in  the  house 
of  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Fitzherbert's,  who  was  in  com- 
paratively humble  circumstances,  but  who  was  seriously 


64:  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

offended  at  the  course  of  duplicity  practised  by  his  sis- 
ter. When  she  had  one  day  declared  to  him  her  design 
as  regarded  the  prince,  he  replied — 

"Eleanor,  if  you  repudiate  your  own  offspring  to 
gratify  your  own  evil  feelings,  and  your  wicked  ambi- 
tion, the  child  is  no  longer  yours.  You  can  see  him  no 
more.  Let  me  but  know  that  you  dare  after  that  to  at- 
tempt it  and  I  will  proclaim  to  your  royal  lover  and  to 
the  world,  your  falsehood  and  your  unnatural  cruelty. 
You  know  me ;  be  assured  that  what  I  have  said  I 
will  do." 

She  did  know  him,  and  felt  well  assured  that  he 
would  be  as  good  as  his  word  ;  by  dint  of  bribes,  how- 
ever, when  her  future  marriage  with  the  prince  became 
town  gossip,  as  it  had  been  for  some  months — though 
but  a  few  believed  the  rumor  ; — and  when  her  brother 
had  put  his  threat  into  execution,  by  forbidding  her  the 
house,  she  had  often  visited  the  child ;  her  brother's 
housekeeper  (he  was  unmarried)  having  privately  ad- 
mitted her  after  dark,  Avhen  the  boy  had  retired  to  rest. 
As  the  hour  of  the  consummation  of  her  ambitious  pro- 
ject drew  nearer,  her  maternal  affections  had  received  a 
new  impulse,  and  her  visits  had  been  long  and  frequent. 
Her  brother,  by  some  means  suspected  her,  and  had 
again  warned  the  housekeeper.  The  indulgence  of  her 
affections  had  therefore  become  dangerous;  and  now, 
knowing  that  they  must  cease,  she  determined  to  see 
him  once  again,  as  her  child — and  then,  as  such,  to 
know  him  no  more. 

For  an  hour,  she  sat  in  the  position  which  I  have  de- 
scribed; her  frame  at  times  convulsed  with  emotion. 
At  length  she  rose,  bathed  her  forehead  and  her  eyes, 
cast  the  jewel'd  bauble  presented  by  her  royal  lover,  on 
the  table — almost  with  loathing,  and  retired  to  her 
chamber. 

Late  on  the  evening  following  the  events  above  re- 
corded, a  lady  might  have  been  seen,  closely  muffled, 
threading  her  way  amidst  the  maze  of  streets  diverging 
from  Bloomsbury -square,  London.  At  length,  after 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  65 

glancing  cautiously  around,  as  though  afraid  of  being 
seen,  she  approached  a  house  of  moderate  pretensions  in 
Lamb's  Conduit-street,  and  knocked  timidly,  three  raps 
at  the  door.  In  a  few  moments  she  was  admitted  by  an 
elderly  female,  who  thus  accosted  her: 

"  Is  that  you,  my  lady?  I  expected  you  sooner,  and 
yet  I  am  glad  you  did  not  come  till  now,  for  master  has 
but  just  retired  to  rest,  and  he  has  been  raving  furiously 
about  you.  I  am  afraid  if  he  should  find  out  you  were 
here,  something  dreadful  would  happen." 

"  Good  Martha,"  said  the  lady,  "  do  not,  I  pray  you, 
waste  words  and  time.  I  dare  stay  but  a  few  minutes,  ' 
and  I  could  not  get*  here  sooner,  for  the  prince  has  but 
a  short  time  since  left  my  residence;  take  me  to  my 
child,  and,  oh  God !  for  the  last  time,  as  my  acknow- 
ledged offspring,  let  me  took  upon  him.  Here,  Martha," 
she  continued,  placing  in  her  hand  a  heavy  purse ; 
"  take  this,  and  be  a  mother  to  my  boy,  now  that  his 
own  unnatural  parent  is  about  to  cast  him  off." 

"  Nay,  lady,  don't  take  on  so,"  replied  the  old  woman ; 
"  it  makes  me  feel  bad  like.  What  does  it  signify,  if  the 
child  does  not  die — and  he  is  a  hearty,  healthy  boy,  so 
there's  no  fear  of  that — that  you  can't  acknowledge  him 
as  your  child  ?  Sure  he's  your  own  flesh  and  blood  all 
the  same.  Come  up  stairs,  ma'arm,  and  please  to  tread 
softly  past  master's  room.  I  wouldn't  for  the  world  he 
should  hear  me." 

Without  uttering  another  word  the  lady  followed  the 
old  housekeeper  up  stairs  into  a  small  bedroom  in  the 
upper  story,  where  lay  sleeping  a  beautiful  boy  of  five 
years  of  age. 

The  lady  stepped  gently  to  the  bed  and  bent  over  the 
child,  while  the  tear-drops  fell  fast  from  her  eyes.  "  My 
poor  babe,"  she  said,  "  oh  that  I  could  recall  the  last 
year  of  my  life.  What  is  the  gratification  of  revenge  ; 
what  the  pride  of  successful  ambition,  to  counterbalance 
the  anguish  I  now  feel?"  and  she  stooped  still  lower  and 
imprinted  burning  kisses  on  the  cheeks,  brow  and  lips  of 
the  boy.  He  awoke,  and  while  a  smile  of  pleasure  illu- 


66  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;   OR, 

mined  his  features,  he  exclaimed  "  Mama !"  and  laid  his 
hand  in  hers.  "  What  makes  you  cry,  mama?"  he  con- 
tinued; "are  you  sorry  to  see  me,  or  are  you  ill?  1 
hope  you  are  not  ill.  Let  me  come  and  live  with  you, 
and  I  will  take  care  of  you  and  do  everything  you  re- 
quire of  me." 

"  Dear  Herbert,"  said  the  unhappy  woman,  "  it  will  be 
a  long  time  before  you  see  me  again  after  to-night.  I 
weep,  love,  because  I  arn  forced  to  bid  you  farewell  for  so 
long  a  time.  You  will  be  a  good  child,  will  you  not, 
and  do  what  Martha  and  your  uncle  tell  you?  And 
dearest  boy,  never  forget  your  mother." 

"I  will  not — never,"  said  the  child,  himself  beginning 
to  weep ;  "  but  why  must  you  go  awa}^  mama  ?  Why 
not  take  me  with  you?  I  love  you  better  than  Martha, 
or  my  uncle,  though  you  come  to  see  me  so  seldom.  Let 
me  go  with  you." 

"  It  must  not,  cannot  be,  my  darling  Herbert.  Would 
to  God,  my  dear  child,  I  could  take  you  with  me  and  fly 
to  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth,  to  escape  the  fate  in 
reserve  for  me ." 

"  Mama,"  said  the  child,  interrupting  her,  ''  have  you 
done  any  thing  wicked  ?  Uncle  said  to-night,  I  must  not 
think  of  you  or  speak  about  you ;  but  I  will,  though. 
For  ain't  you  my  mother,  still?" 

"Good  God!  and  has  it  come  to  this?  Vilified  by 
my  own  brother,  before  my  child,"  said  the  unhappy 
lady,  looking  wildly  around  her  and  gasping  for  breath. 
For  some  moments  she  made  violent  efforts  to  regain 
her  composure  ;  but  each  effort  only  increased  her  emo- 
tion, and  at  length  she  gave  vent  to  a  piercing  shriek, 
and  fell  fainting  to  the  floor. 

While  the  terrified  servant  was  endeavoring  to  restore 
her  to  animation,  amidst  the  loud  lamentations  of  the  boy, 
who  had  risen  from  his  bed  and  was  weeping  over  the  in- 
pensate  form  of  his  only  parent,  a  voice  was  heard  in  the 
room  below,  demanding  the  cause  of  the  uproar.  The 
woman  was  too  much  frightened  to  reply,  and  in  another 
minute,  just  as  consciousness  was  returning  to  the  faint- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  67 

ing  female,  the  brother  of  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  entered  the 
room.  She  opened  her  eyes,  and  their  first  glance  meet 
his.  The  shock  again  caused  her  to  faint ;  but  she  soon 
became  conscious,  and  raising  herself  up,  she  said  in  a 
deprecating  tone  of  voice — 

"  Dear  Henry,  you  are  my  brother  and  once  loved  me. 
I  have  come  to  take  one  last  farewell  of  my  child.  You 
would  not  refuse  me  that  mercy?" 

"  Eleanor,"  he  replied  solemnly,  "bid  him  farewell, 
and  forever,  and  on  those  conditions  I  will  not  inquire 
by  what  means  you  gained  admittance  to  my  house  in 
this  surreptitious  manner,"  glancing  sternly  at  the  trem- 
bling housekeeper.  "Henceforward  we  are  strangers. 
You  are  my  only  sister,  and  as  you  say,  I  once  loved  you. 
You  have  broken  the  bonds  of  affection  between  us — not 
I ;  and  another  such  visit  as  this,  will  lead  to  your  expo- 
sure, and  render  you  the  scorn  and  laughing  stock  of 
the  world.  I  leave  you,  and  give  you  five  minutes 
longer  to  remain  with  your  child ;  then  go,  and  be  happy 
if  you  can  with  the  royal  profligate  whom,  forsooth, 
you  have  taken  for  a  husband.  Will  the  world  so  consider 
him,  or  have  you  not  reduced  yourself  to  a  level  at  which, 
poor  as  I  am,  I  will  never  acknowledge  you  as  my  sister. 
Give  me  your  hand,"  he  added,  with  perceptible  emotion  ; 
"  never  did  I  think  to  see  my  sister  in  this  fallen  condi- 
tion. May  you  be  happy,  if  you  can  be,  arnid  the  scenes 
of  licentious  splendor  in  which  you  will  live,  until  some 
day  you  will  be  cast  aside,  like  a  useless  toy.  Eleanor, 
(taking  her  Land,)  henceforward  we  are  brother  and  sister 
no  longer." 

He  quitted  the  room,  while  a  heart-rending  scene  en- 
sued between  the  mother  and  child ;  but  at  the  expiration 
of  five  minutes,  she  withdrew,  and  a  week  from  that  date, 
George,  Prince  of  Wales,  and  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  were  pri- 
vately married  by,a  Koniish  priest. 

I  need  scarcely  add  that  Herbert  Fitzherbert  was  the 
father  of  the  orphans  whose  claims  to  the  advertised  pro- 
perty i  was  diligently  investigating.  ^1  shall  in  my  next 
chapter  briefly  narrate  the  events  of  his  youth  and  his 


68  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

marriage,  and  then  return  to  the  thread  of  the  original 
narrative  of  the  persecutions  to  which  the  orphan  brother 
and  sister  were  subjected,  during  the  prosecution  of  this 
vexatious  law-suit. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  royal  sensualist  and  a  sad  separation — A  boyish  resolve 
manfully  fulfilled — A  visit  to  JZngland,  and  an  introduc- 
tion to  a  lawyer  of  tJie  old  school — The  doubles  of  the  hero 
and  heroine. 

THE  Prince  of  Wales,  after  his  private  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Fitzherbert,  maintained  an  establishment  upon  a 
magnificent  scale  for  her  use  and  enjoyment,  and  in  every 
respect,  except  acknowledging  her  before  the  world,  as 
his  wife,  his  manner  towards  her  was  that  of  a  devoted 
and  loving  husband,  while  the  conduct  of  the  lady  was 
marked  with  such  circumspection,  that  even  the  ready 
tongue  of  scandal  scarcely  dared  to  whisper  a  syllable  to 
the  prejudice  of  her  fair  fame.  She  was  generally  re- 
ceived in  aristocratic  and  courtly  circles,  without  a  thought 
being  openly  expressed  regarding  her  equivocal  connec- 
tion with  the  heir  apparent. 

The  constant  attention  of  the  prince  to  Mrs.  Fitzher- 
bert, had  by  degrees  overcome  the  prejudice  and  even 
dislike,  that,  in  spite  of  her  obstinate  determination  to 
entangle  him  into  an  alliance,  we  have  shown  to  have 
existed  in  the  early  days  of  their  union,  and  if  she  did 
not  love  him  with  the  devoted  affection  that  should  cha- 
racterize the  love  of  a  wife,  they  probably  got  along  to- 
gether quite  as  respectably  as  many  other  couples,  whose 
union  has  been  the  result  of  circumstances  over  which 
love  has  had  little  or  no  control. 

The  brother  of  Mrs.  Fitzherbert,  who  had  been  an  offi- 
cer in  the  army,  a^d  who  was  dependent  entirely  upon 
his  slender  half  pay  for  support,  was  as  the  reader  will 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  69 

have  seen,  a  man  whose  ideas  of  virtue  partook  of  the 
sternness  of  the  Spartan  character.  He  could  make  no 
allowance  for  the  frailties  of  human  nature,  and  was 
firmly  fixed  in  the  belief  that  every  human  being  had 
the  power  of  restraining  his  passions  and  keeping  them 
within  due  bounds.  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  resembled  her  bro- 
ther in  disposition,  and  under  no  other  circumstances  than 
those  we  have  described,  would  she  have  been  induced  to 
deviate  from  the  strict  line  marked  out  by  duty ;  but, 
like  most  persons  of  her  temperament,  the  fiery  current 
of  passion  once  having  found  an  outlet — once  having 
burst  the  bonds  of  restraint,  its  course  cannot  be  stayed, 
whether  it  be  urged  onward  by  love,  ambition,  envy  or 
hatred.  Like  the  waters  of  the  cataract  which  are  unre- 
strumingly  drawn,  first  by  slow  degrees,  and  then  faster 
and  faster  onwards,  until  they  have  taken  the  fearful  leap 
and  can  never  again  commingle  with  the  placid  stream 
from  which  they  have  strayed,  so  the  victim  of  this  pas- 
sion, let  it  be  what  it  may,  has,  in  giving  himself  up  to 
its  strange  fascination,  been  urged  onwards — onwards,  un- 
til he  has  at  length  taken  the  fatal  step  which  has  forever 
banished  the  peace  of  mind  he  once  enjoyed.  We  have 
mentioned  that  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  was  a  Koman  Catholic, 
and  although  not  bigoted,  she  was  strict  in  regard  to 
matters  of  religion,  and  had  she  not  unfortunately  met 
with  the  Prince  of  Wales,  she  would  in  all  probability 
have  lived  a  quiet,  happy,  and  retired  life,  and,  dying, 
left  behind  her  the  character  of  a  strictly  conscientious 
and  virtuous  woman — a  model  to  her  sex  as  regards  the 
duties  of  a  widowed  mother  to  an  only  child. 

As  it  was,  she  was  compelled  to  mingle  in  the  vortex 
of  fashion  ;  while  her  feelings  loathed  the  splendid  misery 
she  endured,  and  to  appear  gay  and  happy,  when  her 
heart  was  woepftg  blood  for  the  child  whose  very  exis- 
tence she  had  repudiated,  in  a  moment  when  maddening 
ambition  held  sway  over  her  feelings. 

For  some  three  or  four  years  she  never  again  dared 
visit  the  child ;  and  so  determined  was  her  brother  to 
adhere  to  his  resolution,  that  all  her  attempts  even  tc 


70  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

hear  from  the  boy,  were  futile ;  and  thus,  while  the  mo- 
ther was  reveling  in  wealth,  and  apparently  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  every  luxury  and  pleasure  that  wealth  can  se- 
cure, the  boy  was  living  upon  the  limited  means  of  a 
relative,  who  had  barely  sufficient  for  his  own  decent 
subsistence.  At  the  termination  of  this  period,  Lieut. 
Crossly  was  drowned  while  crossing  over  from  England 
to  Ireland,  of  which  country  he  was  a  native — and  so  ut- 
terly was  all  communication  between  the  brother  and 
sister  suspended,  that  the  first  intimation  of  her  brother's 
death,  received  by  Mrs.  Fitzherbert,  was  through  the 
columns  of  the  newspaper  which  recorded  the  melancholy 
shipwreck  of  the  packet  in  which  he  had  sailed.  The 
shock  for  some  minutes  overpowered  her ;  for,  separated 
as  they  had  been,  she  still  loved  her  brother — loved  him 
even,  perhaps,  the  more,  on  account  of  his  hard,  stern, 
but  truly  honest  disposition;  and  then,  she  thought  of 
her  boy  left  now  without  a  protector — perhaps  without 
a  home. 

The  thought  was  more  than  a  mother's  heart  could 
endure,  and  she  determined  to  seek  him  out,  and  at  all 
risks  to  tell  the  prince  that  she  had  deceived  him  ;  that 
she  had  a  child  by  her  former  husband,  besides  the  two 
she  had  borne  to  him. 

She  did  not  find  any  difficulty  in  discovering  the 
child ;  and  for  hours  she  allowed  full  scope  to  the  flood 
of  maternal  affection  that  had  so  long  been  pent  up  ;  and 
when  restored  to  some  degree  of  composure,  she  pro- 
vided the  old  housekeeper  of  her  brother's,  who  had 
acted  in  the  place  of  a  mother  to  the  boy,  with  ample 
means  for  his  and  her  own  future  support. 

But  now  the  cup  of  bitterness  that  she  in  her  thought- 
less ambition  had  filled,  began  to  overflow,  and  she 
found  herself  doomed  to  the  wretchedness  her  brother 
had  foreboded ;  and  which  her  own  heart  had  foresha- 
dowed, through  weary  years,  even  from  the  moment 
when  she  had  proudly  triumphed  and  brought  the  prince 
a  suitor  at  her  feet.  She  met  her  husband  that  evening, 
and  determined  at  once  to  dare  his  anger ;  perhaps  hia 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  71 

ntter  repudiation,  sooner  than  bear  any  longer  the  secret 
pangs  which  racked  her  tortured  breast.  He  was  more 
than  usually  affectionate  in  his  words  and  demeanor ; 
and  the  unhappy  woman,  time  after  time,  when  on  the 
point  of  speaking  on  the  subject,  checked  her  utterance; 
as  if  she  thought  procrastination,  though  it  prolonged 
her  misery,  were  better  than  at  such  a  moment  to  sever, 
perhaps  forever,  the  ties  that  bound  her  to  her  royal  hus- 
band. The  prince  himself  was  in  a  melancholy  mood ; 
and  like  herself,  it  was  apparent  that  he  had  some- 
thing upon  his  mind  he  dared  not  give  expression  to. 

Mrs.  Fitzherbert  at  length  observed  this,  and  with 
truly  feminine  instinct,  her  soul  foreboded  the  nature  of 
the  terrible  disclosure  which  awaited  her.  Her  heart 
sunk  within  her,  and  she  gasped  for  breath.  Already 
strange  rumors  had  gone  abroad,  and  had  found  thei 
way  to  her  unwilling  ears,  and  she  had  closed  them 
to  their  cruel  breathings ;  but  now  the  truth  burst  upon 
her,  and  she  could  bear  the  torture  that  racked  her 
bosom  and  burned  in  her  brain  no  longer. 

"George,"  she  said,  in  a  tone  the  agony  of  which 
caused  the  prince  to  turn  pale,  "  you  have  something 
dreadful  to  tell  me.  My  husband,  speak — speak  at  once, 
or  my  heart  will  break,  and  I  shall  fall  a  corpse  at  your 
feet.  The  rumors  I  have  heard  and  obstinately  refused 
to  listen  to,  while  my  heart  foreboded  still  they  were  too 
true,  are  indeed  correct.  George,  arrangements  are  in 
preparation  for  your  marriage  with  the  Princess  Caroline; 
and  I — I — your  wife  in  the  sight  of  heaven — "  She 
could  say  no  more ;  a  film  came  over  her  eyes ;  she 
gasped  for  breath,  as  though  she  were  suffering  strangu- 
lation, and  fell  fainting  in  the  arms  of  the  prince. 

He  summoned  assistance,  and  the  unhappy  lady  was 
borne  to  her  couch.  A  night  of  hopeless  agony  followed 
and  in  a  succession  of  fainting  fits,  and  wanderings  of  the 
mind,  she  lay  until  morning.  The  prince  was  deeply 
affected,  and  never  lei't  the  side  of  the  couch.  Medical 
aid  had  been  called  in,  and  towards  morning  her  anguish 
found  vent  in  a  copious  flood  of  tears,  for  hitherto  her 


72  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

agony  of  mind  had  been  too  great  to  allow  a  tear  to  come 
to  her  relief 

She  in  some  measure- recovered  her  composure  and 
besought  her  husband  to  tell  her  the  worst  at  once — 
to  hide  nothing — for  longer  suspense  would  surely 
kill  her. 

"Dear  Eleanor — my  wife — the  only  woman  I  have 
ever  fixed  my  affections  upon — it  is  as  you  surmise.  It 
were  useless  now  to  attempt  to  deny  it,  or  to  offer  conso- 
lation only  to  render  future  anguish  doubly  bitter.  I 
am  affianced  to  the  Princess  Caroline,  and  I  dare  not  do 
otherwise  than  follow  the  wishes — the  wishes,  do  I  say 
— nay,  the  commands  of  my  father  and  his  ministers.  As 
for  the  princess,  I  have  never  seen  more  than  her  por- 
trait ;  it  tells  me  she  is  fair,  and  they  tell  me  she  is 
amiable.  Unhappy  wroman !  I  must  call  her  wife  while 
I  loathe  her  very  name — nay  more,  mast  not  only  ac- 
knowledge but  live  with  her  as  such.  Eleanor,  we  must 
part.  It  were  better  for  us  both  that  we  part  at  once 
and  forever.  You — you,  my  dearest  wife,  shall  be  amply 
proyided  for,  and  any  boon  you  ask,  no  matter  what  it 
be,  shall  be  granted.  Curse  on  the  law  which  thus 
places  a  restraint  on  the  holiest  affections  of  the  heart 
and  makes  the  prince,  oh  how  infinitely  beneath  the 
poorest  peasant.  I  dare  not  at  this  moment  deny  the 
profligacy  of  my  youth,  but  had  not  fate  ordained  that 
I  should  be  the  son  of  England's  King,  it  might  not  ever 
have  been  thus  with  me,  for  on  you  my  affections  would 
have  been  firmly  fixed ;  now  I  am  reckless  of  the  future, 
as  1  have  been  of  the  past.  Speak  dear  Eleanor,"  he 
continued,  as  he  felt  the  weight  fall  heavily  upon  the 
arm  that  encircled  the  waist  of  his  wife.  "  Speak — say 
one  word,  say  that  you  can  forgive  me — that  you  do  not 
spurn  me  from  you.  Oh,  God  !  she  has  fainted — she  is 
dying — I  have  killed  her,"  and  tears  fell  like  rain  drops 
from  the  eyes  of  one  whose  conscience  was  seared  by  the 
vile  course  of  life  he  had  led,  prince  though  he  was,  and 
those  tears  were  perhaps  the  first  he  had  wept  since 
manhood  planted  the  beard  upon  his  chin — perhaps  the 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  73 

last  that  affection  or   any  feeling  akin   to  virtue  ever 
drew  from  his  eyes. 

Mrs.  Fitzherbert  again  recovered  her  consciousness, 
and  in  a.  short  time  was  restored  to  partial  composure. 

"  It  must  be  so,"  she  said,  "I  have  felt  it  for  years. 
The  feeling  has  been  gnawing  at  my  heart-strings,  even 
at  the  moment  when  I  seemed  gayest.  George,  we  must 
part  forever ;  but  1  have  a  secret  to  disclose — £  have  de- 
ceived you — aye,  and  myself,  too.  In  the  madness  of 
ambition,  I  thought  I  could  cast  from  me  the  holiestfeel- 
ings  of  a  mother — the  last  chord  which  detaches  itself  from 
the  heart  when  life  is  departing,  and  the  grave  is  already 
opening  to  the  view.  George,  I  have  another  child  besides 
those  I  have  borne  you,  and  last  night,  ere  I  heard  the 
terrible  tidings  from  your  own  lips,  I  had  determined 
to  disclose  a  secret  which,  to  keep  longer  locked  in 
my  breast,  would  have  shortly  worn  away  my  life/' 

"  Another  child !"  said  the  prince,  in  a  tone  of  amaze- 
ment. 

"  Yes,"  she  continued  feebly,  "  a  child  by  Captain 
Fit/,herbert,  as  you,  I  fancy,  once  partially  suspected, 
and  whose  existence  I — unnatural  parent  hat  I  am — 
denied." 

The  prince  was  evidently  relieved,  for  a  strange  sus- 
I  cion  had  crossed  his  mind. 

"  A  child  by  Capt.  Fitzherbert,"  he  replied.  "  Why 
d:d  you  hide  this  from  me,  Eleanor?" 

u  Because,  had  I  told  you  the  truth,  I  could  not  have 
compassed  my  ends,  and  become  your  wife.  We  both 
have  much  to  answer  for ;  but  I  have  the  greatest  bur- 
then to  bear.  Perhaps  it  is  just,  for  my  sin  has  been 
the  greatest.  Dear  George,  I  have  one  favor  to  ask 
before  we  part  for  ever,  not  for  myself,  but  for  my 
poor,  long  forsaken  boy.  I  shall  retire  from  this  busy 
scene,  and  by  fasting  and  prayer,  and  in  the  penances 
enjoined  by  my  church,  shall  endeavor  to  make  my 
peace  with  Heaven.  I  have  a  small  private  fortune*, 
(sufficient  for  myself,  but  for  the  love  you  bear  me, 
dear  George — this  is  the  last  time  I  shall  call  vou  by 

4 


74  THE  LAWYEE'S  STOEY;  OR, 

that  name — provide  for  my  fatherless  child  as  the  child 
of  one  who  has  been  the  wife  and  has  borne  children 
to  his  future  sovereign  should  be  provided  for?  Do 
this,  and  Heaven  will  bless  you — his  mother  will  bless 
you  with  her  latest  breath." 

"  I  swear  that  I  will,"  replied  the  prince. 

"  Then,  now,  farewell ;  henceforward  forget  Eleanor 
Fitzherbert.  She  will  soon  be  laid  in  her  grave, — for- 
get that  she  ever  existed." 

The  husband  and  wife  parted  then  and  forever ;  but 
the  prince  kept  his  word  with  regard  to  the  boy,  upon 
whom  and  his  heirs  forever  he  settled  valuable  crown 
lands  in  the  interior  of  England.  It  was  well,  perhaps, 
that  this  was  done  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  for  the 
Prince  of  Wales  soon  forgot  her  he  had  once  so  ardently 
loved,  and  relapsed  into  the  inherent  profligacy  which 
had  marked  his  career  from  boyhood,  and  which  he 
continued  until  age  and  infirmity  forbade  his  further 
indulgence  in  sensual  pleasures. 

This  property  had  at  one  period  belonged  to  the 
Church ;  but  by  some  means,  the  nature  of  which  I 
know  not,  had  reverted  to  the  crown,  and  the  estate 
was  among  the  royal  gifts,  though  it  could  not  be  held 
by  any  prince  of  the  blood  royal.  It  had  long  been 
matter  of  litigation  between  the  Church  and  the  Crown, 
and  the  decision  had  only  lately  been  given  in  favor 
of  the  latter.  When  I  speak  of  the  good  fortune,  as 
far  as  Herbert  was  concerned,  that  the  prince  acted  on 
the  spur  of  the  moment,  I  mean  that  had  the  prince 
given  himself  time  to  reflect,  he  would,  in  all  probabi- 
lity have  sold  the  estate  privately  to  the  highest  bidder, 
instead  of  thus  placing  it  altogether  out  of  his  control, 
without  having  received  any  pecuniary  benefit  from  it. 

Young  Fitzherbert  was  at  this  period  in  the  tenth 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  tall  for  his  age,  and  slightly 
but  firmly  built.  Although  naturally  of  a  bold  disposi- 
tion, the  privacy  in  which  he  had  been  brought  up  by 
his  uncle,  had  rendered  him  apparently  timid  and  bash- 
ful, especially  in  the  presence  of  strangers.  His  educa- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  75 

' 

tion  had  been  well  cared  for,  and  though  he  hnd  not 
been  as  yet  inducted  into  the  rudiments  even,  of  any 
showy  accomplishments,  he  was  as  well  grounded  in 
ihe  first  principles  of  substantial  and  useful  knowledge 
as  most  boys  of  his  age  who  had  had  twice  his  oppor- 
tunities. 

When  the  Prince  of  Wales  had  presented  to  his 
newly -discovered  step-son  the  extensive  manor  lands 
we  have  alluded  to,  he  had  done  so  with  the  proviso 
that  until  of  age  the  boy  should  remain  under  the 
joint  guardianship  of  his  mother  and  a  distant  relative 
of  her  family,  the  Earl  of  Shropshire.  The  rent  roll  of 
the  estate  amounted  to  fifteen  thousand  pounds  per  an- 
num, out  of  which  the  expenses  of  the  boy's  education 
at  Eton  and  Oxford  were  to  be  paid,  and  a  liheral  annual 
allowance  afforded  him,  the  balance  of  the  annual  in- 
come to  accumulate  in  the  Bank  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  old,  or  to  be  otherwise  emploj^ed  for  his 
benefit,  with  the  joint  concurrence  of  his  mother  and  his 
male  guardian. 

The  alteration  in  the  circumstances  of  young  Herbert 
Fitzherbert,  soon  effected  a  complete  change  in  his  cha- 
racter. Like  most  persons  of  a  naturally  impulsive 
temperament  who  have  been  in  early  youth  subjected  to 
too  great  restraint,  the  long  pent-up  passions  soon  deve- 
loped themselves  with  uncontrollable  strength.  He  had 
little  that  was  really  vicious  in  his  disposition,  but  the 
timid,  bashful  lad  of  ten  years  old,  was,  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  the  leader  of  every  mischievous  project  at  Eton 
College,  the  dread  of  under  ushers,  and  the  admiration 
of  his  school-fellows,  especially  of  those  younger  than 
himself  who  took  him  as  their  model,  and  humbly  strove 
to  imitate  alike  his  good  and  bad  qualities. 

The  very  liberal  allowance  of  pocket-money  he  re- 
ceived, gave  him  a  great  advantage  over  his,  in  this  re- 
spect, less  fortunate  school-fellows,  while  at  the  same 
time  it  afforded  him  the  opportunity  of  indulging  in 
every  freak  of  fancy  that  seized  hold  of  his  imagination 


76  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

and  which  notunfrequently  led  him  into  excesses  which 
he  afterwards  bitterly  lamented. 

I  do  not,  however,  intend  to  linger  over  the  school- 
boy days  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert.  At  the  age  of  eighteen, 
he  was  entered  a  gentleman  commoner  at  Christ  Church 
College,  Oxford,  and  previously  to  his  entering  the  Uni- 
versity, he  paid  a  short  visit  to  his  mother  and  his  guar- 
dian. Mrs.  Fitzherbert's  health  had  been  slowly  de- 
clining for  some  years.  She  lived  in  the  strictest  seclu- 
sion, never  receiving  company  and  fulfilling  all  the 
duties  of  a  religious  devotee.  What  portion  of  her  in- 
come she  could  spare,  and  but  a  small  portion  of  it  was 
expended  on  her  own  subsistence  and  that  of  a  single 
servant,  was  devoted  to  acts  of  charity,  and  only  in  the 
occasional  visits  of  her  son  and  those  of  the  daughter  of 
the  physician  who  attended  her,  did  she  appear  to  take 
the  slightest  pleasure.  Herbert  was  fondly  attached  to 
his  mother,  and  it  grieved  him  sadly  on  this  visit  to  per- 
ceive that  she  was  fast  failing  in  health,  and,  as  he 
feared,  was  not  much  longer  to  remain  an  inhabitant  of 
this  earth.  This,  too,  she  knew,  and  she  felt  all  a 
mother's  anxiety  in  the  future  prospects  of  the  son  to 
whom  she  was  so  soon  to  bid  a  long  farewell. 

It  appears  that  she  had  doubts  of  the  honest  intentions 
of  his  guardian  towards  him,  and  the  night  before  he  was 
to  leave  her  to  pay  the  desired  visit  to  the  Earl  of  Shrop- 
shire, at  Alton  Castle,  she  held  a  long  conversation  with 
the  youth  in  the  course  of  which,  she  gave  expression  to 
her  doubts  and  fears. 

"  But,  mother,  the  earl  has  always  behaved  with  the 
utmost  liberality  towards  me,"  said  Herbert,  in  reply  to 
some  remarks  to  the  above  effect  that  Mrs.  Fitzherbert 
had  just  uttered.  "It  was  but  six  months  ago  that  I 
asked  for  an  increase  of  my  allowance  from  £600  to 
£1000,  which  he  immediately  granted,  and  in  the  letter 
which  requested  me  to  stay  a  week  at  the  castle  on  my 
way  to  Oxford,  after  having  visited  you,  he  hints  at  a 
still  larger  allowance  during  the  few  years  that  yet  re- 
main before  1  take  possession  of  the  Huntingdonshire 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  77 

property,  as  being  necessary  for  my  support  at  Oxford,  in. 
the  style  he  desires  me  to  maintain.  To  me,  there  does 
not  seem  much  enmity  in  this!" 

"  Nor  is  there,"  replied  the  lady  :  "  nor  do  I  know  that 
I  should  have  mentioned  the  subject,  did  I  not  feel  that 
I  shall  soon  be  called  hence,  and  you,  dear  Herbert,  will 
be  left  solely  to  your  guardian's  care,  and  no  longer  will 
the  voice  of  a  mother  be  able  to  counsel  or  advise  with 
you  as  regards  your  future  welfare ;  but  I  held  some  con- 
versation with  the  earl  about  a  month  since,  when  he 
called  here  to  visit  me,  which  has  filled  my  heart  with 
dismal  forebodings." 

"  Then  banish  them,  mother,"  said  Herbert,  endeavoring 
to  assume  an  appearance  of  gaiety,  with  the  object  of 
cheering  his  mother's  spirits,  that  he  in  reality  did  not 
feel,  "  banish  them  and  do  not  give  way  to  low  spirits, 
nor  speak  of  death.  You  will  live  to  see  me  take  pos- 
session of  Brampton  Manor  on  my  twenty-first  birthday ; 
aye,  and  many  years  afterwards  I  trust,  to  preside  over 
my  household.  Mother,"  he  added,  in  a  tone  of  deep 
feeling,  "  you  live  too  much  alone — you  should  go  more 
into  society.  Living  thus,  your  mind  is  occupied  with 
doleful  fancies,  which  have  an  evil  effect  upon  your  bo- 
dily health.  In  a  few  years  1  shall  occupy  Brampton 
Manor — then  you  must  live  with  me.  Perhaps  I  may 
take  a  wife  to  share  my  good  fortune,  and  you  must  in- 
struct her  in  the  duties  of  her  novel  position.  We  shall 
have  gay  times  when  all  this  comes  to'  pass,  shall  we 
not  ?" 

Mrs.  Fitzherbert smiled  faintly.  "Herbert,"  she  said, 
"  you  talk  hopefully,  my  dear  boy — may  that  hope  cling 
to  you  through  life.  .For  me,  1  feel  that  the  hand  of 
death  is  even  now  upon  me,  and  I  in  the  body,  shall  not 
live  to  witness  your  installation  to  the  heritage  given  you 
by  the  prince;  but  if  the  spirits  of  the  departed  are  al- 
lowed to  watch  over  those  they  have  loved  on  earth,  my 
spirit  will  constantly  hover  around  you  and  share,  if  share 
it  may,  in  your  every  earthly  happiness.  But  my  dear 


78  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

boy,  you  spoke  of  marriage — it  is  on  that  subject  I  would 
now  speak  with  you,  perhaps  for  the  last  time." 

She  stopped  speaking  for  a  moment,  as  though  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  Herbert  an  opportunity  to  reply ;  but 
he  did  not  say  a  word.  He  was  too  much  affected  by 
the  solemnity  of  his  mother's  manner,  to  trust  himself 
to  speak. 

She  continued: 

"  I  have  told  you,  Herbert,  that  I  had  lately  some  con- 
versation with  the  earl  regarding  yourself,  and  then  he 
hinted  to  me  his  wish — nay,  more  than  hinted  his  wish  ; 
he  expressed  an  urgent  desire  that  the  Shropshire  and 
Huntingdonshire  estates  should  be  united,  and  this  union 
he  proposed  should  be  effected  by  means  of  an  alliance 
to  be  contracted  between  you,  and  Lady  Mary  Alton,  his 
daughter,  and  sole  heiress.  He  desired — almost  com- 
manded my  interference  in  this  matter,  and  requested  me 
to  press  upon  you  the  benefits  that  would  accrue  from 
the  consummation  of  this,  on  his  part,  anticipated  union. 
I  told  him  that  I  had  suffered  too  much  from  the  evils 
of  a  misalliance,  even  to  lend  my  aid  to  the  contraction 
of  a  marriage  in  which  the  affections  were  not  the  pri- 
mary agents.  I  have  no  personal  objection  to  your  mar- 
riage with  Lady  Mary — nay,  I  believe  that  it  would  for 
many  reasons,  be  a  most  advantageous  match ;  but  I  have 
also  reasons  for  believing  that  your  affections  are  also 
otherwise  engaged.  Is  it  so,  Herbert?  This  is  no  time 
to  disguise  your  sentiments  before  your  mother.  A  little 
time,  as  I  have  said,  and  she  will  be  here  no  longer  to 
counsel  or  advise  with  you." 

"  Mother,"  said  Herbert,  "you  are  right.  My  affec- 
tions are  engaged — my  hand  is  pledged,  and  you  know 
to  whom.  Much  beneath  Lady  Mary  Alton  in  what  the 
world  calls  rank  and  station — one  too  humble  even  for 
her  to  notice — much  inferior  to  her  I  am  willing  to  grant 
in  what  is  generally  considered  as  beauty,  is  Ellen  Har- 
court ;  but  I  need  not  tell  you  how  much  she  is  her  supe- 
rior in  all  that  constitutes  the  real  worth  of  woman,  in  all 
the  qualities  calculated  to  make  a  husband  happy — to 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  79 

attract  his  love  and  render  it  enduring  as  life.  One  is  as 
the  sun  flowers  in  the  parterre,  seen  and  admired  by 
every  one — but  admired  most  at  a  distance ;  the  other 
as  the  violet  hidden  beneath  the  moss-grown  bank — its 
presence  only  known  by  the  fragrance  it  diffuses  around: 
loved  and  admired  and  valued  the  more,  the  closer  it  is 
seen.  Mother,  who  would  choose  to  pluck  and  bedeck 
himself  with  the  sun  flower  ?  who  would  not  wear  the 
modest,  beauteous  violet  in  his  bosom  ?" 

The  young  man  ceased  speaking,  and  Mrs.  Fitzherbert 
replied : 

"It  is  as  I  thought ;  as  I  could  have  hoped,"  and  then 
she  continued,  in  a  low  tone  of  voice,  as  if  unconsciously, 
"  and  yet  a  fatality  appears  to  attend  our  family  in  regard 
to  the  affections  of  the  heart.  I  have  suffered — so  did 
my  poor,  honest,  stern,  but  true-hearted  brother;  so  did 
my  mother :  and  is  my  son  to  suffer  under  the  same  curse? 
Oh !  what  deadly  sin  have  my  ancestors  committed,  that 
the  sins  of  the  fathers  are  thus  visited  upon  the  children ;" 
then  she  continued,  more  audibly,  and  addressing  her 
son,  "  Herbert,  I  have  not  told  you  all.  The  earl  be- 
came so  importunate  that  I  confessed  to  him  my  belief 
that  your  love  was  plighted  to  another,  and  asked  him  if 
he  could  wish  me,  your  mother,  to  interfere  in  a  matter 
of  such  vital  importance  as  regards  your  future  happiness 
in  life.  He  replied : 

"Mrs.  Fitzherbert,  I  offer  your  son  an  alliance  that 
princes  might  court,  and,  pardon  me  for  saying  it — such 
an  alliance  as  his  birth  does  not  entitle  him  to.  I  am 
aware  of  the  nature  of  the  grant  bestowed  upon  your  son 
by  the  Prince  of  Wales;  and  I  may  as  well  at  once  in- 
form you  that  it  is  liable  to  be  contested — that  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  the  prince  had  aright  to  bestow  it;  and  fur- 
ther, that  there  is  an  older  claimant,  who  can  bring  proof 
that  Frederick,  Prince  of  Wales,  the  father  of  King 
George  the  Third,  made  a  similar  grant,  it  is  said,  of  the 
same  property  to  him.  No  one  knows  this  but  myselfj 
as  yet.  I  can  prevent  any  further  action  being  taken  ; 
but  1  will  only  do  so  upon  condition  that  through  the 


80  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

alliance  of  Herbert  with  Lady  Mary,  the  estate  of  Brarnp* 
ton  Manor  and  Alton  Castle  are  united.  Let  your  son 
cast  from  him  all  thoughts  of  the  lowly  match  he  dreams 
of.  He  is  but  a  boy ;  and  let  him  think  of  his  prospects 
in  the  future :  they  are  wealth,  rank  and  station,  and  the 
hand  of  Lady  Mary  Alton,  or  beggary,  and  misery,  and 
love  in  a  cottage,  with  the  low-born  girl  who  has  woven 
her  toils  around  him,  and  sought  to  ensnare  him  for  the 
gratification  of  her  own  ambitious  purposes." 

"The  earl  rose  from  his  seat,  and  without  waiting  my 
reply,  left  the  room,  and  in  a  few  minutes  I  saw  his  car- 
riage drive  past  the  window.  I  know  his  scheming, 
treacherous  disposition,  and  I  know  that  he  will  take  any 
measures,  no  matter  how  vile,  to  carry  out  any  purpose 
he  has  formed,  and  perhaps  there  may  be  truth  in  what 
he  has  said  respecting  the  Huntingdonshire  property. 
What  say  you  now,  my  son?" 

"  As  1  said  before,  mother.  Poverty  with  Ellen  Har- 
court  sooner  than  wealth  with  Lady  Mary.  Good 
Heaven  !  as  well  might  one  try  to  warm  an  icicle  into 
flame  as  to  extract  love  from  the  cold,  selfish  heart  of 
Lady  Mary  Alton.  Mother,  I  am  no  silly  child  to 
dream  that  mutual  love,  alone,  can  constitute  happiness. 
Love  in  a  cottage  is  very  pretty  in  a  picture  or  a  novel ; 
but  unless  there  is  something  more  substantial  in  the 
cottage — fuel  to  warm  it  and  food  to  give  it  strength — 
love  is  very  likely  to  die  of  starvation.  But  why  should 
poverty,  much  less  beggary,  be  my  lot  if  I  marry  Ellen, 
even  supposing  what  I  utterly  disbelieve,  the  trumped 
up  tale  of  Lord  Alton  to  be  true?  Am  I  not  strong  and 
healthy  ?  Can  I  not  labor  for  my  living  as  others  do, 
who,  like  me,  have  been  favored  with  a  good  educa- 
tion, but,  who,  unlike  me,  have  not  been  pampered 
with  the  smiles  of  fortune.  Let  me  be  thankful  that 
in  my  early  youth  my  uncle  taught  me  the  virtues  of 
self-denial;  and  although  I  have  enjoyed  fortune's 
favors,  I  have  not  forgotten  her  frowns.  Poverty,  with 
Ellen  Harcourt ! — never,  while  I  have  the  strong  arm 
and  true  heart  wherewith  to  gain  independence.  Kever ! 


THE   ORPHAN  S  WRONGS.  81 

This  is  no  boy  boasting,  mother.  I  feel  what  I  say,  and 
shall  act  up  to  it.  If  Heaven  spares  my  life  and  hers, 
I  shall  marry  Ellen  Harcourt ;  if  the  world  were  offered 
me  as  her  dower,  with  that  dower  I  would  reject  the 
hand  of  Lady  Mary  Alton." 

"  Nobly  said,  my  brave  son,"  said  Mrs.  Fitzherbert ; 
"  I  pray  God,  my  honest  boy,  your  purpose  may  be  as 
nobly  sustained  should  the  day  of  trial  unhappily  ever 
come;  and  now,  dear,  good  night.  I  feel  unusmilly 
tired  and  oppressed  in  spirits  to-night.  To-morrow  you 
leave  for  Alton  Castle;  do  not  go  until  night.  I  must 
yet  have  one  day  more  to  pass  in  your  society." 

The  mother  and  son  joined  in  a  mutual  embrace,  and 
Mrs.  Fitzherbert  retired  to  her  chamber. 

Ellen  Harcourt,  as  the  reader  may  have  suspected, 
was  the  daughter  of  a  physician  of  the  city,  on  the  out- 
skirts of  which  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  resided,  and,  as  we  have 
said,  was  a  frequent  and  favored  visitor  at  Mrs.  Fitzhcr- 
bert's.  Here  Herbert  had  frequently  met  her  wh<?n  on 
a  visit  to  his  mother ;  and  they  had,  as  mere  children, 
conceived  an  affection  for  each  other.  This  had  ripened 
into  love  as  they  grew  in  years,  and  on  his  previous 
visit  Herbert  had  told  his  love  to  the  gentle  girl,  and 
she  had  reciprocated  his  affection ;  and  although  until 
the  interview  with  her  son  just  described,  Mrs.  Fitzher- 
bert had  not  known  that  matters  had  gone  so  far,  she 
had  long  ago  guessed  pretty  clearly  how  things  really 
stood  between  them.  The  father  of  Ellen  was  in  mo- 
derate circumstances,  having  a  respectable  practice  in 
the  city  and  neighborhood  ;  her  mother  had  died  while 
she  was  a  child,  and  she,  though  still  so  young,  ad- 
mirably filled  the  position  of  her  father's  housekeeper. 
She  was  a  pretty,  delicate,  amiable  girl,  very  retiring 
in  manner,  but  affectionate  in  disposition,  and  loved  by 
every  one  who  knew  her.  As  to  Lady  Mary  Alton, 
she  has  been  well  described  by  Herbert.  She  was  a 
handsome  girl  of  twenty -two  or  three  years  of  age;  but 
cold  and  calculating  in  disposition,  and  so  haughty  and 
overbearing  as  to  render  her  manners  almost  repulsive. 

4* 


82  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 


> 


A  few  hours  after  Herbert  had  retired  for  the  night, 
he  was  awakened  by  the  ringing  of  a  bell  and  the  bustle 
of  persons  hurrying  to  and  fro,  and  while  gathering 
his  scattered,  dreaming  senses,  he  was  startled  into  full 
consciousness  by  a  loud  knock  at  his  chamber  door, 
and  by  the  voice  of  the  servant,  who  entreated  him  to 
hurry  down  stairs  for  she  thought  her  lady  was  dying. 

Herbert  sprang  from  his  bed  and  hurriedly  putting 
on  his  clothes,  hastened  down  stairs  to  his  mother's 
bed-room.  She  was  as  the  servant  had  stated,  almost 
at  her  last  gasp,  and  apparently  unconscious  of  all  that 
was  going  on  around  her ;  but  as  Herbert  bent  over  her 
and  uttered  a  few  unconnected  sentences,  for  the  sud- 
den and  unexpected  blow  had  unmanned  him,  she 
opened  her  eyes,  as  she  heard  the  well-known  and 
loved  voice,  and  smiled  faintly,  at  the  same  time  essaying 
to  grasp  his  hand.  Poor  Herbert  seized  the  half  extended 
hand  and  stooped  to  kiss  her  cheek,  his  eyes  almost  blind- 
ed wfth  the  starting  tears.  There  was  one  more  smile  as 
she  seemed  to  feel  his  warm  breath — a  slight  convulsive 
shudder — and  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  was  no  more  ;  but  that 
smile — the  last  faint  effort  of  a  mother's  love,  when  to 
her  filmy  eyes,  all  else  but  the  loved  object  of  her  holiest 
affection,  was  mist  and  darkness,  sfill  lingered  after  death, 
and  the  pale,  cold  corpse  carried  that  last  loving  smile 
even  into  the  damp,  cold  grave. 

Herbert  was  overwhelmed  with  grief;  he  had  schooled 
himself  to  bear  the  loss  which  he  knew  he  would  soon 
be  called  to  suffer  ;  but  he  had  not  thought  the  sad  blow 
would  fall  upon  him  so  suddenly.  He  rose  from  his  half 
recumbent  posture,  and  still  holding  his  mother's  hand  in 
his  own,  seated  himself  by  the  bedside,  and  there  for 
hours  he  sat,  motionless — stupid — his  faculties  benumbed 
with  the  intensity  of  his  grief. 

The  physician  arrived  just  as  the  spirit  had  fled  from 
his  expiring  patient,  as  though  it  were  in  mockery  of 
the  vain  efforts  of  human  skill  when  the  dread  fiat  has 
gone  forth ;  but  the  doctor,  though  startled  at  the  sudden- 
ness of  Mrs.  Fitzherbert's  decease,  was  not  greatly  sur- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  83 

prised.  Iler  disease  was  ossification  of  the  heart,  and  at 
uny  moment  of  excitement  might  have  proved  fatal. 

Ellen  too,  shortly  arrived,  and  strove  to  and  at  length 
succeeded  in  consoling  the  bereaved  son ;  their  tears 
mingled  together,  for  Ellen  had  long  looked  upon  Mrs. 
Filzherbert  as  a  second  mother  to  her,  sent  by  Heaven  in 
place  of  the  mother  she  had  lost,  and  in  that  hour  of 
sorrow  the  troth  plighted  at  a  happier  moment  was 
sealed  too  firmly  to  be  torn  asunder  by  mortal  hands. 

I  will  pass  over  the  details  of  the  funeral,  merely 
stating  that  the  body  of  the  deceased  was  carried  to  Ire- 
land ;  and  followed  by  Herbert  and  Ellen  as  chief 
mourners,  was  interred  in  the  family  vault  in  Dublin  ; 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  when  the  keen  edge 
of  his  sorrow  was  somewhat  blunted,  Herbert  paid  his 
promised  visit  to  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  at  Alton  Castle. 

He  was  kindly  and  hospitably  received,  and  for  a  few 
days  nothing  was  said  to  him  by  the  Earl  as  to  the 
views  he  entertained  regarding  his  daughter's  marriage, 
although  it  was  evident  that  Lady  Mary,  who  had  here- 
tofore always  treated  him  with  almost  scornful  hauteur, 
now  took  every  opportunity  to  ingratiate  herself  into  his 
lavor;  but  it  was  in  vain.  He  met  her  advances  coldly 
but  respectfully,  and  never  suffered  himself,  by  word  or 
deed,  to  imply  that  he  could  ever  view  her  in  any  other 
light  than  as  the  daughter  of  his  guardian. 

At  length  the  earl,  one  morning,  having  invited  his 
young  guest  to  join  him  in  a  morning  walk  in  the  Park, 
broached  the  subject  that  occupied  his  mind,  and  to  his 
great  astonishment  his  condescending  offer  was  court- 
eously but  firmly  declined  by  his  ward.  The  old  noble- 
man was  too  cunning  and  too  well-bred  to  resort  to 
threats,  and  he  adroitly  changed  the  subject  of  conver- 
sation, and  during  the  remainder  of  the  visit  he  never 
again  reverted  to  it. 

Jn  a  few  days  Herbert  went  to  Oxford,  and  remained 
for  one  year,  during  which  period  he  received  several 
letters  from  the  earl,  in  all  of  which  the  object  which 


84  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OB, 

lay  nearest  Iris  lieart  was  hinted  at,  without  Herbert's 
seeming  to  notice  it. 

At  length  his  guardian  conceived  the  idea  that  travel 
and  consequent  absence  from  the  object  of  his  idolatry, 
might  root  out  the,  as  he  imagined,  incipient,  boyish 
love,  which  so  fascinated  his  ward,  and  while  Herbert 
was  away  he  would  see  the  girl's  father  and  by  a  pe- 
cuniary gift  or  other  means,  endeavor  to  gain  over  the 
father's  co-operation  in  his  sinister  designs,  and  when 
his  ward  returned  he  hoped  he  might  be  found  more 
inclined  to  yield  to  his  wishes. 

He  proposed  travel  to  Herbert,  who  was  delighted, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  thus  to  become  his  own  master, 
and  who  eagerly  accepted  the  proposition. 

To  the  earl's  great  delight  he  proposed  to  visit  the 
United  States  instead  of  some  of  those  countries  in 
Europe,  with  which  England  was  then  on  friendly  terms, 
and  where  it  would  have  been  practicable  for  an  Eng- 
lishman to  travel.  His  lordship  thought  to  himself — 
"this  is  better  than  ever;"  (at  that  period  the  com- 
munication between  the  old  and  the  new  world  was  not 
so  easy,  rapid  and  regular,  as  at  present,)  "  while  in 
Europe  this  cunning  gypsy  of  a  physician's  daughter 
might  find  means  to  correspond  with  her  lover.  In 
America  this  will  be  barely  practicable,"  and  in  a  short 
time  Herbert,  who  had  early  imbibed  a  love  for  re- 
publican institutions,  sailed  for  America,  with  the  in- 
tention of  remaining  until  he  was  of  age. 

The  reader  will  recollect  it  was  while  on  this  visit  I 
first  introduced  him  in  this  record  through  the  infor- 
mation I  received  from  the  daughter. 

Being  abundantly  supplied  with  money,  he  took  it 
into  his  head  to  purchase  some  extensive  tracts  of  land 
in  Virginia  which  were  for  sale  at  this  period,  the  title 
deeds  of  which  he  received  ;  but  the  war  breaking  out 
with  the  mother  country,  he  was  compelled  to  return 
to  England  a  few  months  earlier  than  he  would  other- 
wise have  done. 

When  he  arrived  home  the  persecutions  of  the  earl 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  85 

re-commenced,  and  now  assumed  a  threatening  form. 
At  length  Herbert  positively  refused  to  listen  longer 
to  his  guardian's  overtures,  declaring  that  he  should 
shortly  be  of  age  and  then,  at  all  hazards,  he  would 
marry  Ellen.  The  earl  stamped  and  stormed  but  all  to 
no  purpose,  and  at  length  threatened  him  with  the  loss 
of  his  inheritance,  as  he  had  once  hinted  to  the  young 
man's  mother.  Herbert  laughed  the  threat  to  scorn, 
and  turning  his  back  on  the  earl,  left  him  dumb  with 
astonishment  at  his  ward's  spirited  independence. 

Herbert  went  to  the  earl's  solicitor  the  following  week, 
on  arriving  in  London,  and  made  inquiry  as  to  the  cor- 
rectness of  his  lordship's  statement.  But  the  lawyer  had 
received  instructions  from  the  earl,  who  suspected  this 
movement  on  the  part  of  his  ward,  and  he  corroborated 
the  hints  the  young  man  had  received  from  Lord  Alton. 

Ignorant  of  the  intricacies  of  law,  and  of  a  proud,  im- 
petuous spirit  that  would  not  brook  humiliation,  Herbert 
manfully  determined  to  depend  upon  his  own  exertions, 
and  his  late  mother's  property  affording  him  an  income 
sufficient  for  his  economical  maintenance,  he  returned  to 
college  to  finish  his  studies,  and  having  a  penchant  for 
the  medical  profession,  he  took  the  necessary  steps  to 
qualify  himself  for  its  practice.  Four  years  after  this, 
during  which  period  he  proudly  refused  to  listen  to  any 
overtures  from  the  earl,  who  sought  several  oppor- 
tunities to  bring  the  determined  youth  to  terms,  he 
commenced  practice,  and  the  following  year  married 
Ellen  llarcourt :  but  not  succeeding  so  rapidly  as  his 
impetuous  spirit  had  led  him  to  believe  he  ought  to  do, 
and  longing  to  revisit  the  United  States,  he  determined 
to  dispose  of  his  practice,  sell  out  his  late  mother's  pro- 
perty in  the  funds,  and  emigrate  to  this  country  with 
the  little  capital  he  could  thus  collect  together.  He  did 
so,  and  commenced  business  in  Philadelphia,  whence 
after  some  time  he  removed  to  Heading,  where  he  died 
shortly  after  his  wife,  leaving  Adolphus  and  Georgiana, 
infants  and  orphans,  without  a  relative  or  a  friend  that 
they  knew  of  in  the  wide  world ;  for  that  very  year, 


86  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

1830,  King  George  the  Fourth,  who  according  to  the 
precepts  of  divinity  and  all  the  recognized  laws  of  social 
life  among  civilized  nations,  was  in  reality  the  husband 
of  their  grandmother,  had  himself  been  gathered  to  the 
tomb  of  his  royal  ancestors. 

Having  thus  completed  the  introduction  to  my  narra- 
tive by  tracing  the  anterior  family  records  up  to  the 
date  of  the  opening  of  my  story,  I  shall  now  beg  the 
reader  to  follow  rne  in  imagination  again  to  England, 
for  which  country  I  sailed  with  my  two  proteges  within 
a  few  weeks  after  the  happy  recovery  of  Georgiana. 

I  was  advised  by  the  professional  gentleman,  who  was 
acting  in  England  in  co-operation  with  me,  to  keep 
secret  for  the  present  the  arrival  of  the  brother  and  sis- 
ter in  that  country.  Accordingly  on  my  arrival  in  Lon- 
don, I  procured  suitable  lodgings  at  the  West  End,  and 
having  established  them  therein,  I  walked  to  Lincoln's 
Inn-Fields,  where  was  located  the  •  law  office  of  Mr. 
Hughes,  to  whom  I  introduced  myself  as  the  gentleman 
who  had  corresponded  with  him  relative  to  the  Fitzher- 
bert  case  from  the  United  States. 

Our  mutual  greetings  having  been  exchanged,  I  im- 
mediately entered  into  the  business  which  had  induced 
me,  from  the  interest  I  had  taken  in  the  young  people,  to 
cross  the  Atlantic  with  them  and  endeavor  to  see  them 
righted  as  regarded  what  I  considered  their  just  claims. 

"  I  as  well  as  you,  Mr. ,"  said  Mr.  Hughes  in  re- 
ply to  some  remarks  I  had  made,  "  fully  believe  that  the 
young  gentleman  and  lady  you  have  brought  with  you 
from  the  United  States,  are  the  lawful  heirs  to  this  con- 
tested property ;  nevertheless,  I  fear  we  shall  have  con- 
siderable difficulty  in  bringing  forward  sufficient  proof, 
the  more  especially  since  two  young  persons  have 
been  in  this  country  now  nearly  three  months,  and 
strange  to  say,  their  story  exactly  coincides  with  that 
which  you  tell  me  you  have  heard  from  your  proteges ; 
more  than  that,  their  claims  have  been  very  well  re- 
ceived by  the  parties  interested,  who  will  work  with  all 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  87 

their  might  to  establish  them  in  possession,  and  do  all 
they  can  to  prove  our  clients  to  be  impostors." 

"  But  I  have  with  me  proof  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Her- 
bert Fitzherbert,  and  his  wife,  Ellen  Harcourt,  at  Kead- 
ing,  Pennsylvania,  in  1830,"  said  I,  considerably  taken 
aback,  as  sailors  say,  by  the  story  of  my  English  legal 
friend,  "  and  I  presume  nothing  will  be  easier  now  I 
am  in  London  to  procure  from  the  registers,  proof  of 
the  birth  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  and  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Harcourt,  at  'Canterbury,  where  her  father  resided, 
and  also  from  some  persons  who  must  be  cognizant  of 
the  event,  proof  of  the  emigration  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fitz- 
herbert to  the  United  States." 

"Nothing  could  possibly  be  more  simple  than  to  do 
as  you  say,"  replied  Mr.  Hughes  with  the  most  im- 
perturbable coolness  and  dryness,  "for  every  facility 
would  be  afforded  you  at  the  vestries  of  the  churches 
in  which  the  ceremony  of  christening  and  marriage 
were  performed,  and  you  might  also  discover  the  date 
of  the  infants'  birth  register;  but  unfortunately,  all 
that  has  been  done  already  by  the  solicitor  of  the  op- 
posing parties  in  this  case." 

"  How  is  it  possible,"  I  replied,  "  that  they  can  have 
thus  managed  to  make  every  little  circumstance  agree 
as  regards  names  and  dates?  How  could  two  parties, 
brother  and  sister,  of  a  similar  age  as  our  clients,  and  of 
the  same  rather  uncommon  name,  have  possessed  parents 
who  were  born,  married  and  died  at  the  same  date  and 
under  similar  circumstances,  unless  there  is  gross  fraud 
somewhere?" 

"That's  just  where  the  difficulty  lies,"  said  Mr. 
Hughes ;  "  that  there  is  gross  fraud  on  one  side  or  the 
other,  no  one  possessed  of  common  sense  will  presume 
to  deny.  The  question  is  to  prove  on  which  side  the 
fraud  exists." 

"  I  never  can  be  brought  to  believe  that  Adolphus 
and  Georgiana  have  deceived  me  ;  indeed,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances it  is  impossible,"  said  I,  in  an  excited  man- 
ner ;  for  I  was  not  only  astonished  at  the  idea  of  such  a 


88  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

connected  system  of  deceit  having  been  thus  far  success- 
fully carried  out ;  but  I  was  irritated  by  the  undisturbed 
coolness  of  my  coadjutor  in  the  intended  investigation. 

"  Neither  do  I  in  the  slightest  degree  doubt  the  per- 
fect honesty  of  our  clients,  and  the  truth  of  their  state- 
ments ;  but,  my  good  friend,  you  are  a  lawyer,  and  you 
know  as  well  as  I  do  that  what  we  believe  is  of  very 
little  consequence ;  the  question  is,  what  can  we  make 
the  jury  believe  ?  I  presume,  in  the  course  of  our  prac 
tice,  we  have  both  experienced  the  correctness  of  my 
last  observation." 

I  could  not  help  smiling  in  spite  of  myself  at  the  quiet 
and  gentlemanly  self-possession  of  rny  new  acquain- 
tance, and  1  acquiesced  in  the  perfect  truth  of  his  re- 
marks. "But,"  added  I,  "if,  as  I  understand,  the  pos- 
session of  the  property  is  contested  by  yet  another  claim- 
ant or  party  of  claimants,  it  appears  strange  to  me  that 
the  claims  of  the  young  persons  who  you  say  are  favora- 
bly received,  should  be  so  generously  admitted." 

"  Exactly  so,"  said  Mr.  Hughes ;  "  that  is  where  I  view 
the  matter  in  a  suspicious  light.  I  believe  this  young 
man  and  woman  are  mere  agents  posted  up  by  some  per- 
sons unknown,  who  know  more  of  the  true  state  of  the 
case  than  either  of  us.  Depend  upon  it,  my  good  sir, 
these  poor  dupes  are  paid  for  their  services,  and  when 
their  claim  is  fully  settled  by  the  law  of  the  land,  they 
will  be  paid  off,  and  perhaps  sent  out  of  the  country  with 
a  competency  for  the  rest  of  their  lives.  The  whole  af- 
fair, sir,  is  a  fraud — a  deeply  laid  conspiracy — and  it  is 
my  opinion  certain  persons  holding  a  high  position  in  so- 
ciety, are  concerned  in  it.  Why,  sir,  the  property  is  im- 
mense— perfectly  enormous — .£15,000  a  year,  annual 
rental  from  the  estates,  and  that  sum  annually,  has  been 
accumulating  at  compound  interest  since — let  me  see — • 
ah  !  since  the  year  1805  or  thereabouts.  Good  heavens ! 
sir,  the  value  of  the  contested  property  in  this  case,  is 
perfectly  overwhelming." 

"  Have  you  seen  the  young  persons  who  represent  them 
selves  as  the  heirs  Fitzherbert  ?"  said  I. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  \VUOXGS.  89 

"  I  have,  and  a  very  interesting  looking  couple  they 
are.  Tho  young  lady  I  should  imagine  to  be  about  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  delicate,  extremely  pretty  and  very 
modest ;  even  retiring  in  her  demeanor.  Her  brother  I 
should  say  was  twenty -five  or  thereabouts;  about  sir 
years  her  senior — a  fine,  tall,  well-looking  youth,  rather 
reserved  in  manner,  and  with  a  slight  dash  of  melancholy 
in  the  expression  of  his  features  when  at  rest;  but  withal 
a  fine  gentlemanly-looking  fellow,  apparently  devotedly 
attached  to  his  sister,  who  has  indeed  been  everything  to 
him  since  childhood,  and  who  is  doubly  endeared  to  him 
in  consequence  of  the  misfortunes  they  have  encountered 
together;  in  the  midst  of  which  her  love,  devotion  and 
cheerful  uncomplaining  disposition,  as  I  have  heard  him 
say  to  his  counsel,  has  been  all  that  restrained  him  from 
casting  himself  away  in  utter  despair.  But  what  is  the 
matter,"  continued  he  in  utter  astonishment;  for  as  he 
was  speaking,  I  had  started  up  from  my  chair  :  "have  I 
made  any  observation  which  may  have  been  the  cause  of 
your  astonishment  ?  Pray  be  seated,  sir ;  you  look  quite 
excited.  It  is  necessary  in  our  profession,  to  be  calm  and 
collected  upon  all  occasions." 

''  Good  heavens!  Mr.  Hughes,"  said  I,  "you  have  de- 
scribed to  a  hair  the  young  couple  I  have  brought  over 
from  New  York  with  me.  Had  I  been  asked  to  describe 
their  appearance  and  character,  I  could  not  have  made 
the  resemblance  more  perfect." 

"  Indeed  1"  said  he,  for  the  first  time  disturbed  from  his 
equanimity ;  "  this  is  strange — very  singular  indeed  !  By 
the  bye,  are  you  fully  aware  of  the  facts  of  the  case  so 
far  as  they  have  yet  transpired  ?" 

"I  am  not,"  I  replied;  for,  of  course,  at  that  time  I 
was  ignorant  of  much  in  regard  to  which  I  have  enlight- 
ened the  reader. 

"  It  is  necessary  then  that  you  should  know  them.  The 
story  will  be  too  long  to  tell  at  present,  (looking  at  his 
watch);  if  you  will  favor  me  with  your  company  to  din- 
ner to-day,  at  my  hou.se,  at  Clnpham  Common,  we  will 
talk  the  matter  over  in  the  evening.  It  is  five  o'clock, 


90  THE    LAWYERS  STORY;     OR, 

and  my  servant  will  be  here  with  the  gig  directly.  Allow 
me  to  offer  you  a  seat  in  it." 

I  accepted  the  invitation;  for  I  assure  the  reader  my 
mind  was  in  a  perfect  state  of  perplexity  from  the  strange 
account  I  had  heard,  and  I  felt  I  could  have  no  rest  till 
I  was  further  enlightened  in  the  matter. 

"  By-the-bye,"  said  Mr.  Hughes,  as  in  the  course  of  a 
few  minutes  the  servant  arrived  with  the  gig,  and  I  seated 
myself  in  the  vehicle  by  his  side ;  "  by-the-bye,  we  pass 
very  close  to  the  lodgings  you  have  taken  for  your  young 
friends.  Would  it  be  asking  too  much  to  beg  to  be  in- 
troduced to  them  to-night  ?  for  I  assure  you  your  re- 
marks in  reply  to  my  description  of  their  opponents  in 
this  singular  case,  have  interested  me  considerably,  and 
it  is  rarely  I  allow  anything  to  disturb  my  mind.'' 

"  With  the  greatest  pleasure,"  I  replied,  and  I  really 
felt  what  I  said ;  for  I  began  to  think  I  was  dreaming,  and 
that  the  strange  claimants  and  my  young  clients  were  the 
same  persons. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  were  set  down  at  the  boarding- 
house,  and  I  ushered  Mr.  Hughes  up  stairs  into  the  room 
where  the  Fitzherberts  were  seated. 

He  was  introduced  by  me  and  we  spent  a  few  minutes 
in  conversation  together,  and  then  both  started  for  Clap- 
ham. 

"  I  could  not  have  believed  it,  had  I  not  seen  it  with 
my  own  eyes,"  said  Mr.  Hughes,  when  we  were  again 
fairly  under  weigh.  "  Such  a  perfect  resemblance  I  never 
saw  before  in  human  beings.  They  are  not  the  same ; 
that's  certain — they  can't  well  be.  Besides,  I  stood  by 
the  young  man,  and  he  is  taller  than  I,  while  his  almo.-t 
perfect  counterpart  is  just  about  rny  height;  his  hair  and 
eyes  too,  are  a  shade  darker,  and  there  is  a  slight,  but  to 
a  careful  observer, 'a  perceptible  difference  in  the  tone  of 
his  voice.  The  young  lady  too,  has  a  fresher  complexion ; 
but  after  all,  the  resemblance  is  truly  astonishing;  per- 
fectly miraculous  1" 

In  the  course  of  an  hour  we  were  set  down  at  Mr. 
Hughes's  handsome  residence  on  Clapham  Common,  and 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  91 

[  received  in  the  course  of  the  evening  a  great  deal  of 
information  from  him  respecting  the  case.  He  was,  I 
found,  a  gentleman  of  widely  extended  knowledge,  and 
I  spent  a  delightful  evening. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  reader  is  introduced  lo  an  Old  Bailey  lawyer.  Also,  to  a 
counsellor  of  a  too  common,  but  not  very  reputable  class. 

DURING  my  conversation  with  Mr.  Hughes,  I  learned 
that  he  suspected  that  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  was  a  party 
to  the  proceedings  in  the  disputed  title  of  the  Brarnpton 
Manor  estate ;  but  this  he  only  obscurely  hinted  at,  as  he 
us  well  as  I,  was  ignorant,  at  this  date  of  my  story,  of 
much  that  the  reader  is  cognizant  of,  and  which  we  learnt 
in  the  course  of  subsequent  investigation  ;  but  which  it 
was  necessary  for  me  to  mention  in  order  to  bring  my 
narrative  to  a  fresh  starting  point. 

He  had  imagined  this  merely  from  some  information 
he  had  received  at  Canterbury  from  an  old  servant  of 
Dr.  Harcourt's,  who  was  still  living,  although  in  a  state 
of  almost  total  mental  imbecility.  It  was  very  evident, 
however,  to  me,  that  he  suspected  another  party  strongly 
as  having  something  to  do  with  it,  and  that  party  was 
the  uncle  of  our  clients  by  the  mother's  side ;  no  other, 
indeed,  than  Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert,  son  of  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  and  Mrs.  Fitzherbert,  the  grandmother  of  the 
orphan  heirs  ;  but  as  yet,  he  as  well  as  I,  was  profoundly 
ignorant  of  the  nature  of — could  not  even  conjecture  any 
reasonable  cause  for  these  strange  proceedings. 

I  must  now  introduce  my  readers  to  another  lawyer's 
office  in  the  city  of  London,  bearing  quite  a  different  as- 
pect to  the  quaint,  but  comfortable,  and  even  tasteful 
chambers  occupied  by  Mr.  Hughes,  in  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields. 

Let  the  reader  follow  me  in  imagination  beyond  the 


92  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

limits  of  the  city  proper,  along  Whitechapel,  in  which 
the  very  atmosphere  is  reeking  with  the  tainted  exhala- 
tions from  the  large  slaughter-houses  situated  side  by 
side,  in  the  rear  of  the  butchers'  stalls  for  which  that  lo- 
cality is  famed — the  blood  and  filth  pouring  in  a  stream 
into  the  gutter,  and  the  pestilential  effluvia  by  no  means 
improved  by  the  stench-of  onions  and  of  refuse  vegetable 
matter  trampled  into  the  mud  beneath  the  petty  green- 
grocers' stalls,  which  line  the  pavement  opposite  the 
meat-market;  and  if  he  can  get  safely  through  without 
being  suffocated  by  the  vapor  of  the  foul  malaria,  still  let 
him  follow  rne  on  until  the  street  widens,  and  if  nut  more 
cleanly  in  reality,  becomes  at  least  freed  in  some  measure 
from  the  vile  stenches  he  has  left  behind.  We  will  pass 
through  Whitechapel  Gate  and  turn  to  the  left,  threading 
the  mazes  of  the  poverty-stricken  and  disreputable  neigh- 
borhood of  Spitalfields,  and  when  in  a  street  diverging 
from  the  Globe  Road  in  an  easterly  direction,  we  will  as- 
cend a  riarrow  stair-case,  near  a  pawn-broker's  shop — by 
far  the  largest  and  handsomest  establishment  in  the 
street,  if  we  except  the  gin-palaces,  and  on  the  first  floor 
of  this  unprepossessing  dwelling,  is  situated  the  office  of 
which  we  speak.  In  sooth,  it  is  a  dingy  place — enough 
to  give  one  the  horrors  to  look  at  it.  God  pity  the  poor 
souls  who  have  fallen  into  the  clutches  of  its  presiding 
genius;  for  it  forcibly  recalls  to  mind  the  well-known 
quotation  from  Dante's  "Inferno."  "Hope  is  shut  out 
from  those  who  enter  here." 

The  lawyer  is  writhin,  and  evidently  not  in  the  most 
pleasant  of  humors,  if,  indeed  to  judge  from  his  features, 
he  ever  can  be  in  a  good  humor.  He  is  seated  in  the 
inner  office,  and  entering  the  outer  one,  we  hear  the  fol- 
lowing dialogue  going  on  inside : 

"  Have  there  been  any  letters  for  nie,  this  morning, 
Wilkins?" 

"  No,  sir ;  none,"  replies  a  middle-aged  man,  very 
shabbily  attired  in  clothing  which  looks  still  more 
shabby  from  its  having  been  originally  intended  for  a 
less  robust  wearer,  and  its  also  boasting  of  a  most  fash- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  93 

ionablc  cut ;  the  coat  being  so  tight  as  to  threaten  to 
burst  open  the  back  seam  at  every  motion  of  the  wearer, 
while  the  sleeves  terminate  at  least  two  inches  above  his 
lean,  bony  wrists,  showing  an  extraordinary  quantity  of 
very  yellow-looking  linen  ;  while  the  trowsers  are  so 
tightly  strapped  beneath  a  pair  of  large,  dilapidated 
boots,  as  seriously  to  impede  the  wearer's  progress ;  the 
said  straps  at  the  same  time  reaching  almost  to  the  ancles, 
and  meeting  the  trowsers,  since  the  trowsers  refused  to 
meet  them  on  proper  terms  of  intimacy. 

"No,  sir,"  he  repeats;  "there  hasn't  been  any  letters 
this  morning." 

"  Confound  it,"  exclaimed  the  lawyer,  taking  a  Liver- 
pool paper  from  his  pocket,  and  perusing  and  reperusing 
a  paragraph  which  seemed  to  occasion  him  considerable 
annoyance.  "Mind  I  can't  be  seen  by  any  one  to-day  ; 
but  should  a  letter  arrive,  bring  it  to  me  instantly,  and 
see  and  put  some  more  coals  on  the  fire.  It  appears  to 
have  only  just  been  lighted.  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Wil- 
kins,  you  must  do  better  than  this,  or  you  and  I  must 
part,  and  that's  the  long  and  short  of  the  matter.  It's 
now  near  ten  o'clock.  Pray  what  time  did  you  get  to 
the  office  this  morning  ?" 

"At  nine,  sir,  and  as  soon  as  I  had  swept  it  out  I  lit 
the  fire.  I  didn't  expect  you  so  soon,  sir." 

"  At  nine !  and  pray  what  hour  was  it  when  you 
closed  last  night  ?" 

"I  didn't  get  through  copying  those  affidavits  till  mid- 
night, sir,  and  this  morning  at  eight  o'clock  I  had  to 
serve  the  suit  upon  Smithson.  I  couldn't  get  a  chance 
to  serve  it  until  I  had  watched  the  house  nearly  an  hour." 

"  That's  no  excuse,  Wilkins — none  at  all.  You  must 
manage  things  better,  or  find  some  other  situation. 
Now,  what  are  you  staring  at?"  continued  the  lawyer, 
as  the  man  stopped  before  him  in  a  hesitating  manner  as 
though  lie  had  some  favor  to  ask,  yet  feared  the  present 
was  an  unpropitious  moment  to  prefer  it. 

"  If  you  please,  sir,  rnv  wife  is  lying  in  with  her  sixth 
child,  and  the  doctor's  bill  is  heavy,  I  thought  sir — I— 


94  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

that  is,  sir,  I  told  my  wife  this  morning- -I  would  ask 
for  a  slight  increase  of  salary." 

''  Good  God !  what  does  the  man  mean  ?  An  in- 
crease of  salary !  No,  sir.  I  pay  you  now  15s.  a  week 
— a  handsome  salary  considering  the  duties  you  have  to 
perform.  Go  to  your  work,  sir  ;  and  look  you  here,  Mr. 
Wilkins.  If  you  make  such  an  impertinent  request 
again,  out  you  bundle  into  the  street,  sir,  and  starve,  sir 
— starve  if  you  can't  do  better.  A  wife  and  family,  in- 
deed !  I  should  like  to  know  what  a  lawyer's  clerk 
wants  with  a  wife  and  family.  There — go  to  your 
work,  sir,  at  once,  and  let  me  know  if  any  letters  come." 

As  soon  as  the  clerk  had  retreated  into  the  outer  room 
the  lawyer  locked  the  door  of  the  inner  one,  and  thus 
soliloquised : 

"  It's  always  the  way  :  any  job  that  has  got  any  dirty 
work  attached  to  it,  that  infernal  Gripes  thrusts  upon 
my  shoulders,  while  he  manages  to  keep  clear  of  danger 
himself.  If  I  complain,  he  threatens  me  and  says  he  can 
hang  me  at  any  moment.  Well,  if  he  can,  two  can  play 
at  the  same  game,  for  I  can  transport  him  for  life,  high 
as  he  holds  his  head.  I've  got  the  papers  relative  to 
that  case  of  conspiracy,  Mordiiunt  vs.  Selwyn  ;  and  if  I 
committed  the  forgery,  he  perjured  himself,  and  1  have 
proof  of  it  in  this  box,"  tapping  a  small  tin  deed  box 
that  stood  near  him.  "  Well,  well,  the  less  that's  said 
of  that  matter  the  better  for  us  both  just  now;  but," 
grinding  his  teeth,  "  I  never  forgive  or  forget.  By-and- 
bye  my  day  will  come  and  then,  Gripes,  I'll  have  re- 
venge. But  about  this  paragraph  ;  I  sent  Gripes  word 
]a.st  night,  and  surely  it  needs  attention.  I  wonder  if 
there's  any  truth  in  it."  So  saying,  he  recommenced 
reading  the  newspaper. 

He  was  interrupted  at  this  moment  by  a  knock  at  the 
door,  and  upon  opening  it,  his  clerk  gave  him  a  letter 
which  had  just  arrived,  merely  saying:  "A  letter  from 
Mr.  Gripes,  sir.  Immediate." 

The  lawyer  tore  open  the  envelope,  perused  the  brief 
epistle,  and  then  throwing  his  cloak  over  his  shoulders, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  95 

left  the  office  in  charge  of  his  clerk,  desiring  him  not  to 
quit  until  he  returned,  if  he  were  delayed  till  midnight. 
Mr.  Cheatem,  the  worthy  member  of  the  legal  profession, 
to  whom  the  reader  has  just  been  introduced,  was  one 
of  that  class  known  in  England  by  the  soubriquet  of 
"  Old  Bailey  lawyers,"  in  consequence  of  their  hanging 
about  prisons  for  the  purpose  of  taking  advantage  of  the 
urgency  of  the  cases  that  sometimes  come  up.  They 
have  their  prototypes  in  other  lands ;  but,  perhaps,  in 
consequence  of  the  wider  field  London  lays  open  to  the 
practice  of  their  villainy,  they  exceed  their  foreign  breth- 
ren in  their  utter  disregard  of  the  nature  of  the  cases  they 
take  in  hand.  Forever  on  the  look  out,  like  vultures, 
for  any  dirty  job  which  may  chance  to  place  a  few  gui- 
neas in  their  pockets,  woe  to  the  unhappy  wretch  who 
entrusts  his  cause  in  their  hands,  whether  it  be  a  just  or 
an  unjust  one.  As  the  vampire  is  said  to  drain  the  life's 
blood  from  the  unconscious  sleeper  while  it  fans  and 
lulls  him  to  sleep  with  the  cooling  breath  from  its  wings, 
so  these  wretches  drain  the  last  shilling  from  their  vic- 
tims, deceiving  them  and  lulling  their  suspicions  by 
specious  promises  to  the  last,  and  when  they  are 
utterly  penniless,  leaving  them  pitilessly  to  their  fate. 

It  is  these  men  and  such  as  these  who  cast  a  stigma 
upon  a  profession  which  has  enriched  the  world  with 
many  of  the  brightest  ornaments  of  humanity,  and  the 
avenues  to  which  should  be  closed  to  all  but  men  of 
honesty  and  strict  integrity  of  character.  Mr.  Gripes,  to 
whom  I  shall  presently  introduce  the  reader,  was  another 
of  the  same  class,  but  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his 
wretched  tribe.  By  dint  of  superior  tact  and  talent,  he 
had  managed  to  maintain  a  good  name  and  a  passing 
fair  lame  in  the  world,  and  consequently  was  enabled 
completely  to  control  the  poor  lawyers  of  his  class,  who 
were  fain  to  accept  thankfully  from  his  hands,  and  to 
carry  out  under  his  direction  any  work  that  he  thought 
too  dirty  or  too  dangerous  for  him  to  meddle  with  in 
propria  pei-sonce. 

Gripes  lived  in  a  handsome  house  at  the  West  End; 


96  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

mingled  freely,  though  only  on  sufferance,  for  the  wretch 
was  suspected,  with  his  honest  professional  brethren ; 
bore  a  charitable  name,  for  he  gave  freely  to  any  charity 
when  the  names  of  the  donors  were  to  be  published  in 
the  newspapers, — though  otherwise  he  would  not  have 
given  a  penny  to  save  a  poor  wretch  from  starvation ; 
and  to  crown  all  he  rented  a  pew  in  a  fashionable  church, 
and  was  a  regular  recipient  of  the  sacrament.  To  all 
but  his  professional  brethren  he  was  a  saint ;  but  they 
could  not  help  at  times  seeing  through  the  cloak  of  hy- 
pocrisy beneath  which  he  sought  to  hide  his  real  charac- 
ter. I  have  been  thus  particular  with  these  two  men  be- 
cause they  will  bear  a  prominent  part  in  the  denouement 
of  my  narrative. 

As  soon  as  Cheatem  reached  the  Whitechapel  road,  he 
got  into  an  omnibus,  which  sat  him  down  in  Fleet-street, 
whence  he  turned  into  a  court  filled  with  law  offices,  one 
of  which-  was  occupied  by  Isaiah  Gripes,  Esq. 

Cheatem  entered  the  office  and  found  Mr.  Gripes  seated 
within,  as  he  expected. 

"  What  is  this  you  tell  me,  Cheatem,  about  the  arrival 
of  that  d — d  Yankee  lawyer  at  Liverpool,  with  the  two 
Fitzherberts  ?  The  girl  must  be  in  Italy  by  this  time, 
and  once  there,  there  is  little  fear  of  her  returning  to 
trouble  us." 

Cheatem  handed  him  the  newspaper,  without  reply, 
from  which  he  read  as  follows  : 

"  The  American  packet  ship  Washington,  Captain  Silas 
Wright,  commander,  which  arrived  last  night,  as  will  be 
seen  by  reference  to  the  shipping  list,  brought  over  sev- 
eral passengers,  among  whom,  according  to  our  indefati- 
gable reporter,  who  is  ever  on  hand  to  glean  intelligence, 
were  a  gentleman  of  the  legal  profession,  from  New  York, 
and  a  young  gentleman  and  lady  of  the  name  of  Fitzher- 
bert,  who,  it  is  said,  claim  to  be  the  veritable  heirs  to  the 
property  in  Huntingdonshire,  which  is  under  litigation, 
and  which  has  attracted  public  attention  so  strongly  of 
late.  Our  reporter  learnt  this  from  one  of  the  passengers. 
It  is  said  the  parties  themselves  intended  to  have  kept 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  97 

their  arrival  secret,  at  least  for  the  present.  If  our  re- 
porter be  not  misinformed,  we  may  expect  shortly  to  hear- 
of  some  novel  and  rich  disclosures  regarding  this  case." 

"D n,"  said  Gripes,  after  having  read  the  para- 
graph, "  there  must  be  some  mistake.  De  Paoli  wrote 
me  to  say  that  all  was  arranged  respecting  the  girl,  and 
they  were  to  sail  for  Trieste  the  next  morning,  and  I  was 
just  pleasing  myself  at  the  thought  of  her  arrival  in  Ita- 
ly. See  here,  (taking  up  an  Italian  paper,  and  reading 
from  it  in  English,)  'The  San  Giovanni  arrived  at  this 
port  (Trieste,)  this  morning,  having  on  board  as  passen- 
gers, Signer  de  Paoli  and  his  family.'  There  must  be 
some  mistake  somewhere.  Those  prying  reporters  must 
thrust  their  brazen  faces  everywhere,  and  hatch  up  a 
story  if  they  cannot  get  hold  of  one  by  fair  means.  But 
if  they  have  really  arrived,  they  mean  to  keep  it  a  se- 
cret, do  they  ?  Well,  we  are  obliged  to  this  veracious 
reporter  for  informing  us  of  that  fact,  at  any  rate.  I  must 
see  his  lordship  to  day,  and  we  must  ferret  out  more  of 
this  business,  and  satisfy  ourselves  either  of  its  truth  or 
falsehood ;  but  its  getting  into  the  newspapers  is  bad — 
very  bad.  It  will  be  trumpeted  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other.  There  really  should  be  some  re- 
striction as  regards  the  freedom  of  the  press.  The  li- 
cense these  editors  take,  is  getting  to  be  quite  abomina- 
ble." 

"  Letting  everybody  know  our  tricks,  eh  !"  said  Chea- 
tern,  who  could  never  let  an  opportunity  for  an  ill-natured 
joke  pass,  even  though  it  told  against  himself. 

Gripes  took  no  notice  of  his  coadjutor's  remarks;  but 
repeated — 

"  I  must  see  his  lordship  to-day.  He  said  he  would 
send  his  card,  stating  the  hour  for  an  interview.  Chea- 
tem,  you  must  be  on  hand  if  you  are  wanted,  do  you 
hear?" 

"  Yes  sir.  Dobson,"  pointing  to  Gripes's  man  of  all 
work,  "  will  know  where  to  find  me  at  a  moment's  warn- 
ing." 

And  he  left  the  office  and  ensconced  himself  in  the 
-5 


98  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

back  parlor  of  one  of  the  snug  public  houses  to  be  found 
in  all  sorts  of  out-of-the-way  places  in  the  city.  Then  he 
called  for  a  pipe  and  a  pot  of  porter,  and  while  enjoying 
the  cheap  luxury,  sat  cogitating  the  various  matters  of 
rascality  he  had  in  operation. 

Mr.  Gripes  sat  communing  with  his  own  mind  for 
some  time,  and  at  length  was  upon  the  point  of  going 
out,  when  the  porter  brought  him  a  card,  on  which  was 
engraved, 

"LORD  HENRY  FITZHERBERT,  LIFE-GUARDS," 
and  below  the  inscription  was  written  in  pencil,  "  will 
meet  Mr.  Gripes  at  his  apartments  in  the  Albany,  at  four 
P.  M." 

Gripes  read  the  inscription,  and  then  said : 

"  Upon  my  word,  it's  too  bad — prevented  from  going 
about  any  other  work  for  the  whole  day,  so  that  I  may 
meet  this  bastard  sprig  of  royalty  just  when  the  day's 
work  should  be  over.  He  might  just  as  well  say  what 
he  has  to  say  now  as  then ;  but  it  can't  be  helped.  I  sup- 
pose I  must  keep  the  appointment — meanwhile,  since  tbe 
day's  business  is  so  broken  into,  I'll  just  join  Cheatem, 
and  have  a  chat  with  the  rascal.  Cheatem's  at  the  snug- 
gery in  Fennel  court,  I  suppose,  Dobson  ? "  added  he,  ad- 
dressing his  clerk. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  if  any  one  wants  me,  say  that  I  have  been  sent 
for,  to  consult  with  Counsellor  Bruffem,  on  an  important 
legal  point  at  issue  ;  but  am  expected  back  immediately, 
and  then  step  round  to  the  snuggery,  and  let  me  know 
who  it  is." 


THE  OKPHAN'S  WRONGS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  reader  is  introduced  to  bachelor  apartments  in  the  Al- 
bany, and  to  a  life-guardsman — Unpleasant  intelligence 
from  abroad — An  aristocrat  of  the  first  ivater — A  slight 
ignorance  of  Geography — Foul  play  is  contemplated. 

THE  scene  changes,  and  I  introduce  my  readers  to  a 
magnificent  suite  of  apartments  in  that  well-known  fash- 
ionable place  of  bachelor  residence,  the  Albany.  In  a 
handsomely  furnished  parlor  a  gentleman  of  probably 
forty  years  of  age  is  half-sitting,  half-lounging  upon  a  vis- 
a-vis which  he  has  wheeled  to  a  table  on  which  are  the 
debris  of  a  breakfast.  The  gentleman  is  still  sipping  a 
cup  of  chocolate  at  intervals,  and  occasionally  yawning, 
as  though  he  had  not  long  risen  from  his  bed,  although 
it  is  near  noon.  A  gorgeous  dressing-gown  is  wrapped 
carelessly  around  him,  and  his  feet  are  encased  in  a  pair 
of  velvet  slippers,  made  after  the  Turkish  fashion.  His 
features  are  delicate,  and,  but  for  the  jet  black  moustache 
which  covered  his  upper  lip,  his  countenance  would  have 
almost  a  feminine  appearance.  The  walls  of  the  room 
are  hung  round  with  engravings,  executed  in  the  highest 
style  of  art,  and  on  tasteful  marble  pedestals  placed  in 
the  corners  of  the  apartment,  stand  classic  groups  of  sta- 
tuary, carved  in  the  same  material.  Mingled  with  minia- 
tures, seals,  small  articles  of  jewelry,  handsomely  bound 
annuals,  and  other  trifles,  showing  a  certain  fastidious  re- 
finement on  the  part  of  the  possessor,  are  a  pair  of  boxing- 
gloves,  a  brace  of  handsomely  mounted  duelling-pistols, 
a  couple  of  pair  of  fencing-foils,  a  dog's  collar,  and  a  host 
of  heterogeneous  articles  spread  without  any  regard  to 
order,  over  a  large  marble-topped  centre-table,  giving  to 
the  room  the  perfect  vraisemblance  of  a  wealthy,  fashiona- 


100  THE  LAWYER'S  STOEY;  OR, 

ble  bachelor's  apartment.  A  beautiful  Italian  greyhound, 
and  a  Scotch  terrier,  so  ugly  that  it  seems  to  have  been 
chosen  purposely  as  a  foil  to  the  elegance  of  its  brute 
companion,  but  which  appears  to  be  equally  a  favorite 
with  its  master,  are  with  him  the  only  living  occupants 
of  the  room. 

A  footman,  attired  in  a  handsome,  but  quiet  livery, 
opened  the  door  of  the  apartment,  after  having  knocked 
and  received  a  command  to  come  in,  and  announced  in 
a  loud  voice — 

"  The  right  honorable  the  Earl  of  Shropshire." 

"  Show  his  lordship  up  stairs,  Harrison,"  said  the  gen- 
tleman ;  and,  when  the  servant  had- retired,  he  added : 

"  Weally,  its  vewy  distwessing  to  be  annoyed  at  suck 
an  hour  of  the  day.  What  the  d — 1  can  Lord  Shropshire 
want,  I  wonder." 

This  fretful  soliloquy  was  broken  short  by  the  entrance 
into  the  room  of  a  tall,  slender  gentleman,  remarkably 
plainly  dressed ;  but  of  a  most  aristocratic  bearing,  and 
of  a  haughty,  cold,  severe  expression  of  countenance. — • 
His  lordship,  at  this  period,  must  have  been  at  least 
sixty-five  years  old ;  but  he  showed  no  mark  of  age,  save 
in  the  thick  sprinkling  of  grey  amongst  his  once  dark  hair. 
His  step  was  firm,  his  bearing  as  steady,  and  his  deep- 
set  grey  eye  as  keen  and  piercing  as  it  had  been  twenty 
years  before. 

"Good  morning,  Fitzherbert — still  at  breakfast,  I  see," 
was  the  salutation,  as  he  walked  into  the  room  and  seated 
himself  sans  cer&monie. 

"  No,  my  lord — I  have  finished  bweakfast ;  in  fact  I've 
vewy  little  appetite  now  for  bweakfast,  or  any  other  meal. 
The  fact  is,  1  didn't  get  home  till  day -light  this  morning, 
and  I  still  feel  the  effects  of  the  champagne  I  drank  last 
night.  I  must  reform  some  of  these  days.  I  begin  to 
find  I  can't  indulge  with  impunity  as  I  once  could ;  but, 
can  I  offer  your  lordship  a  cup  of  coffee  or  chocolate  ?" 

"No,  Henry,  no — I  thank  you;  I  always  breakfast  at 
eight  o'clock,,  whether  at  Alton  Castle  or  at  Grosvenor 
Square,  and  never  touch  anything  afterwards  until  din- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  101 

ner-time.  I  have  called  this  morning  on  business  which 
nearly  concerns  us  both.  Hadn't  you  better  order  the 
servant  to  remove  the  breakfast  things,  and  then  we  can 
converse  without  interruption  ?" 

The  younger  gentleman  languidly  touched  the  bell- 
pull,  and  the  remains  of  the  breakfast  were  removed  by 
the  footman.  The  earl  then  rose  from  his  chair,  and 
quietly  locked  the  door  of  the  apartment,  and,  having 
resumed  his  seat,  he  said  : — 

"  Henry,  I  received  a  letter  from  Trieste  this  morning, 
from  the  Countess  de  Paoli,  from  which  I  have  learnt  the" 
rather  unpleasant  intelligence  that  our  plan  as  regarded 
the  placing  of  Georgianna  Fitzherbert  in  the  Convent  at 
Milan,  has  partly  fallen  through.  The  letter  was  evi- 
dently written  at  sea,  before  the  Giovanni  (the  vessel  on 
board  of  which  they  sailed  from  Philadelphia,  had  got 
into  port — for  that  it  was  posted  immediately,  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that,  by  the  same  mail,  I  have  received  an 
Italian  newspaper  announcing  the  vessel's  arrival.  The 
letter  I  received  prior  to  this,  intimated  that  they  had 
managed  everything  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner, 
and  were  to  sail  with  the  girl  on  the  following  day.  This 
one  states  that  they  did  sail  as  they  had  intimated — that 
the  girl  was  sent  on  board  in  charge  of  Maria,  and  it  was 
supposed,  retired  to  her  cabin.  When,  however,  the 
vessel  was  clear  of  the  harbor,  the  countess  sent  Maria 
to  bring  Georgianna  on  deck  to  breathe  the  fresh  sea 
air — for  the  poor  girl  had  naturally  enough,  fretted  and 
pined  a  great  deal  during  her  confinement  at  Philadel- 
phia ;  but  she  was  no  where  to  be  found,  and  the  suppo- 
sition on  their  part  is,  that  she  has  thrown  herself  over- 
board in  a  fit  of  frenzy  and  despair.  If  that  was  all,  it 
would  not  be  so  serious,  nor  give  us  so  much  trouble, 
though  I  should  feel  really  sorry  if  any  thing  so  dreadful 
has  befallen  the  poor  child ;  but  while  I  was  reading  the 
letter  from  Trieste,  a  note  from  that  fellow  Gripes,  was 
put  in  my  hand  by  my  valet,  in  which  he  states  that  his 
partner,  Peachem  or  Cheatem,  or  something  like  that  (I 
can  never  think  of  these  fellow's  names,)  has  shown  him 


102  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

a  Liverpool  newspaper,  in  which  a  paragraph  appears 
announcing  the  arrival  at  that  port,  of  a  ship  from  the 
United  States,  having  on  board  a  gentleman  of  the  legal 
profession  from  New  York,  who  is  accompanied  by  a 
young  gentleman  and  a  lady,  who  claim  to  be  the  real 
heirs  Fitzherbert.  Now  if  this  report  be  correct,  it  cer- 
tainly is  awkward — for  the  girl  must  somehow  or  other 
have  escaped  from  the  vessel  instead  of  being  drowned. 
Perhaps  picked  up  by  some  boat  that  chanced  to  be  near, 
or  else,  worse  still,  she-has  some  accomplices  who  know 
'  more  than  it  is  convenient  to  us  they  should  know.  For 
anything  we  can  tell,  they  may  even  at  this  moment  be 
in  London. 

"  'Pon  my  honor,  it's  d d  awkward,"  replied  Lord 

Fitzherbert,  "  it's  vewy  twoublesome  to  be  mixed  up  with 
these  things.  For  my  part  I  wish  I  had  nothing  to  do 
with  it." 

"Do  I  understand  you  rightly,  my  lord?"  said  the 
earl,  in  an  angry  tone  of  voice ;  "  you  infer  that  you 
have  no  desire  for  the  projected  matrimonial  alliance 
between  Lady  Mary  Alton,  my  daughter,  and  your- 
self. If  so,  I  wash  my  hands  of  the  whole  affair,  and 
you  can  carry  on  the  law  suit  in  conjunction  with 
Gripes  &  Peachem,  Cheatem  I  mean,  as  best  you  may." 

"Not  at  all,  my  lord,"  replied  Lord  Fitzherbert. 
"  Your  lordship  is  so  vewy  hasty.  I  shall  esteem  the 
honor  of  an  alliance  with  the  lovely  Lady  Mawy  very 
highly  I  assure  you.  But  somehow  or  other,  I  wish 
the  business  was  not  in  Gwipes  hands.  He  may  be  a 
vewy  honest,  good  sort  of  man,  but  that  class  of  people 
are  my  abhorwence.  I  always  think  Gwipes  smells  of 
the  '  Old  Bailey,'  whenever  he  comes  into  the  room  ; 
and,  by-the-bye,  the  fellow  is  to  meet  me  here  at  four 
o'clock  to-day ;  though  what  I  can  do  in  the  matter  is 
more  than  I  know." 

"  My  dear  Henry,  you  should  really  show  a  little 
more  energy  of  character,  and  at  your  time  of  life,  de- 
vote yourself  a  little  more  to  business.  Instead  of  that, 
you  are  as  listless  in  the  matter  as  if  you  were  quite  un- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  103 

concerned  in  the  turn  it  takes.  You  are  aware,  of 
course,  that  it  is  only  upon  the  event  of  your  obtaining 
possession  of  the  Huntingdonshire  estates  that  our  con- 
tract holds  good,  regarding  your  marriage  to  my 
daughter.  You  have  no  ambition,  sir — no  energy  what- 
ever— no  strength  of  purpose.  For  my  part,  twenty 
years  ago  my  mind  was  set  upon  the  union  of  these  large 
estates,  and  to  the  furtherance  of  that  object  have  my 
whole  energies  been  directed,  and  I  will  move  heaven 
and  earth  but,  by  some  means  \>r  other,  it  shall  be  ac- 
complished." 

"  1  acknowledge,"  replied  Lord  Fitzherbert,  "  that 
your  lordship  possesses  energies  and  strength  of  purpose 
such  as  few  men  are  blessed  with  ;  but  you  are  wrong 
in  supposing  that  my  life  is  one  of  idleness.  Your  lord- 
ship has  never  been  in  the  '  Gwards,'  and  you  can  have 
no  idea  of  the  dweadful  fatigue  of  going  thwough  pa- 
wade  every  day :  marching  and  counter-marching,  up 
one  avenue  of  St.  James'  Park  and  down  another,  in  all 
weathers.  It's  vewy  distwessing — vewy  fatiguing,  I 
assure  you.  'Pon  honor,  I  believe  the  constant  recur- 
wance  of  the  same  monotonous  duties  is  more  fatiguing 
than  a  regular  campain  on  the  continent  would  be." 

Lord  Shropshire  smiled  contemptuously,  then  he  said : 

"  You  say  Gripes  is  to  meet  you  at  four  o'clock.  It 
is  now  one,"  (looking  at  his  watch,)  "  and  at  two  o'clock 
I  must  be  at  the  House.  The  question  of  the  tariff 
comes  up  in  the  'Lords'  to-day,  and  it  is  important  that 
I  should  remain  until  the  vote  is  taken,  or  I  would  see 
Gripes  myself.  However,  oblige  me  by  desiring  the 
fellow  to  meet  me  at  my  house  in  Grosvenor-square 
to-morrow  at  ten  o'clock  precisely,  and  then  we  will  see 
further  into  this  business,  and  arrange  our  future  opera- 
tions— and  now,  Henry,  good  morning." 

"Good  morning,  my  lord,  present  my  best  respects 
to  Lady  Mawy,  and  say  I  will  do  myself  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  her  at  '  Almacks'  to-night.  I  pwesume  she  will 
be  there — and  oh ;  my  lord,  would  it  be  convenient  to 
you  to  lend  me  a  thousand  just  now.  I  lost  heavily  at 


104  THE   LAWYERS  STORY;     OR, 

Ascott  last  week.  I  believe  I  was  duped  into  betting 
on  the  wrong  horse  by  that  infernal  fellow,  Davis,  and 
I  am  completely  plucked  for  the  present." 

"Henry,"   replied    the  earl,    "I    would  do  much  to 
oblige  you ;  but  I  fear  you  are  given  to  very  great  ex-  | 
travagance.     I  hope  you  will  give  up  that  odious  prac-  i 
tice  of  betting  on  horse  races,  when  you  are  married  to 
Lady  Mary ;  however,  I  will  give  you  a  check  upon 
Coutts  for  the  money,"  and  the  earl  sat  down  at  a  side- 
table,  and  taking  his  check-book  from  his  pocket,  wrote 
a  check  for  a  thousand  pounds,  and  presented  it  to  Fitz- 
herbert,  merely  saying : 

"There,  Henry,  is  the  amount  you  need,  and  I 
hope  it  will  be  the  last  you  will  require  for  any  such 
purpose." 

He  then  left  the  room  and  in  the  course  of  half  an 
hour  Lord  Fitzherbert  rang  for  his  valet  and  proceeded 
to  his  dressing-room  to  make  himself  presentable  for 
the  day. 

Punctually  to  the  hour  of  four,  Isaiah  Gripes,  Esq., 
presented  his  card  to  the  porter  at  the  Albany,  and 
was  ushered  into  the  presence  of  his  noble  client. 

One  of  the  strange  contrarieties  of  the  human  cha- 
racter was  evidently  discernible  in  the  demeanor  of 
the  crafty  lawyer  in  the  presence  of  Lord  Fitzherbert. 
He  was  perfectly  aware  of  the  iniquity  and  falsehood 
of  the  business  he  was  engaged  to  carry  out,  and  as 
fully  aware  that  his  client  was  as  deeply  implicated  in 
the  conspiracy  to  defraud  as  himself,  yet  though  he 
would  have  treated  a  poor  but  honest  client,  with 
hauteur  and  contempt,  he  exhibited  in  Lord  Fitzher- 
bert's  presence  a  submissiveness  of  demeanor,  quite  con- 
trary to  his  usual  vulgar  arrogance,  even  with  those  who 
were  his  equals  in  the  social  scale ;  while  on  the  part  of 
his  lordship  he  was  met  with  coolness,  almost  amount- 
ing to  scorn,  for  though  Lord  Fitzherbert  knew,  himself, 
how  matters  stood  between  them,  he  had  managed  to 
clear  his  own  conscience  to  his  satisfaction  of  all  partici- 
pation in  the  fraud,  and  really  had  brought  himself  to 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  105 

believe  that  Gripes — the  tool — was  the  principal,  indeed, 
the  only  delinquent,  and  to  look  upon  him  with  dislike 
approaching  to  disgust.  Lord  Fitzherbert  would  have 
been  civil  to  the  humblest  person  who  approached  him, 
although  brought  up  in  the  hot  bed  of  aristocracy,  partly 
from  a  habit  of  condescension  and  partly  from  a  natural 
indolence  of  disposition  which  really  made  it  too  much 
trouble  to  him  even  to  assume  an  appearance  of  hauteur ; 
but  when  Gripes  was  in  his  presence,  he  plucked  up 
spirit  and  showed  the  haughty  -aristocrat,  and  Gripes — 
the  mean  spirited  cur — submitted  to  be  thus  treated  with 
contempt,  and  only  became  more  subservient  in  his  de« 
meaner  the  more  grossly  he  was  insulted,  as  the  spaniel 
fawns  more  submissively  the  more  he  is  beaten  by  his 
master. 

"  What  is  it  to  me,"  replied  Fitzherbert,  to  some 
remark  of  the  obsequious  lawyer ;  "  if  the  young  folks 
are  in  England,  it  is  your  business  to  devise  some 
scheme  to  get  them  away  again.  It  is  for  that  and 
such  like  purposes  you  and  such  as  you  are  employed. 
I  knew,  when  you  sought  an  interview  that  it  would 
be  useless,  so  far  as  related  to  any  further  arrange- 
ments regarding  this  cursed  business  that  Lord  Shrop- 
shire has  got  me  into,  and  I  wish  he  had  been  at  the 

d 1  before  I  had  consented  to  his  schemes,  although, 

to  tell  the  truth,"  he  continued  sotto  voce,  "  I  want  the 
money  bad  enough,  God  knows;  and  I  suppose  that 
conceited  piece  of  vixenish  old-maidenhood,  Lady  Mary, 
must  be  thrown  into  the  bargain.  A  pretty  wife  she'll 
make,  confound  her.  She's  upwards  of  forty,  if  she's 
a  day,  and  puts  on  as  many  airs  and  graces  as  a  young 
girl.  She  would  cheat  the  world,  if  she  could,  into  the 
belief  that  she  is  young;  faugh  I"  Then  he  continued, 
again  addressing  Gripes,  who,  while  his  lordship  had  been 
talking  abstractedly  to  himself,  had  been  diligently  oc- 
cupied in  examining  the  engravings  on  the  walls,  as 
though  totally  unconcerned,  while  in  reality  his  ears  had 
been  wide  open,  and  he  had  heard  every  word. 

"  By-the-bye,  Gripes,  I  may  as  well  say  at  once  that  I 


106  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

am  utterly  incompetent  to  make  any  arrangements  or 
to  advise  at  all  as  regards  this  matter.  Lord  Shropshire 
will  see  you  at  Grosvenor-square,  to-morrow  at  ten 
o'clock,  and  then  you  can  arrange  with  him.  Mind, 
ten  o'clock.  His  lordship  is  particular  in  regard  to 
punctuality.  Good  morning;"  and  his  lordship  bowed 
the  lawyer  very  unceremoniously  out  of  the  room. 

"  It  will  be,  perhaps,  as  well  lor  your  lordship  as  for 
some  other  folks,  if  nothing  happens  to  mar  this  pretty 
plot  you  have  concocted  together,"  said  the  discomfited 
Gripes,  when  he  found  himself  again  in  the  open  street, 
and  free  from  the  constraint  his  mean  soul  suffered  under, 
when  in  the  presence  of  nobility.  "  There  must  come 
a  day  of  heavy  payment  on  my  side,  for  this  dog's  duty 
I  am  doing,  or  a  day  of  retribution  on  yours.  Well, 
well — as  that  scoundrel,  Cheatem,  says — '  Every  dog 
will  have  his  day,'  and  I'll  have  mine,  some  day  ;  and  if 
I  don't  apply  the  thumb-screw  to  some  purpose,  my 
name 's  not  Gripes.  I'll  give  some  of  these  proud  aris- 
tocrats the  gripes"  added  he,  punning  upon  his  own 
name.  He  walked  back  to  his  office  at  Fennel  Court, 
and  sent  his  clerk  to  tell  Cheatem  that  no  business  could 
be  done  that  night  and  to  desire  him  to  call  at  an  early 
hour  on  the  morrow,  and  then  he  locked  up  the  office 
and  went  home,  in  no  pleasant  humor  with  himself  or 
with  the  world. 

The  next  morning,  punctually  to  time,  he  made  his 
appearance  at  the  door  of  Lord  Shropshire's  noble  man- 
sion in  Grosvenor-square,  and  was  ushered  by  the  foot- 
man in  waiting,  into  the  presence  of  the  earl,  who  was 
seated  in  his  study  busily  employed  in  looking  over 
newspapers  from  different  parts  of  the  country,  as  well 
as  the  morning  papers  of  the  city. 

"  Good  morning,  Gripes — take  a  chair,"  said  the  earl, 
"  I  find  that  you  were,  unfortunatelyj  quite  correct  as 
regards  the  information  you  received  from  your  partner, 
— What's  his  name — Clutchum " 

"  Cheatem,  may  it  please  your  lordship,"  interrupted 
the  lawyer  in  a  respectful  manner. 


TIIE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  107 

"  Ah  1"  continued  the  earl,  "I  knew  it  was  some- 
thing like  that — Clutchem — Cheatem — its  pretty  much 
the  same  thing  with  him  I  presume ;  the  one  is  a  ne- 
cessary sequitur  of  the  other,  eh ! — but  about  this  con- 
founded paragraph,  Gripes,  I  see  it's  copied  into  all  the 
Liverpool  papers  of  yesterday,  accompanied  with  some 
very  taunting  and  impertinent  remarks.  Furthermore 
I  see  that  the  Mercury  positively  testifies  to  its  truth, 
and  asserts  that  the  party  proceeded  direct  to '  London 
on  the  day  after  their  arrival.  Now,  you,  as  well  as  I, 
Gripes,  must  be  aware  that  this  is  a  very  serious  matter, 
and  may  cause  us  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  In  the  first 
place,  then,  it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  take  measures 
to  ferret  them  out,  and  discover  where  they  are  stopping, 
and  in  order  to  do  this  speedily  and  properly,  spare  no 
expense  ;  that  done,  we  must  try  to  get  the  young  fel- 
low out  of  the  way  some  where  or  other.  How  we  shall 
manage  about  that  I  don't  know;  we  must  both  tax 
our  ingenuity,  and  perhaps  between  us  we  may  be  able 
to  hatch  up  some  practicable  scheme.  When  I  was  a 
young  man,  these  matters  were  easily  enough  managed, 
but  now  they  are  more  difficult.  I  recollect  a  cousin  of 
mine  wanted  once  to  get  rid  of  a  witness  whose  testi- 
mony would  have  lost  him  a  valuable  farm,  besides  in- 
volving his  honor ;  but  at  that  day  the  press-gang — an 
invaluable  institution  for  the  purposes  of  .the  aristo- 
cracy— which  this  present  silly  twaddle  about  the  free 
dom  of  the  suly'ect — a  misnomer,  to  say  the  least  of  it — 
has,  conjointly  with  several  other  institutions  for  coer- 
cing the  common  people,  and  marking  th£  difference 
between  them  and  the  higher  classes,  been  done  away 
with ;  for  my  part,  I  don't  know  where  they  are  going 
to  stop;  but,  as  I  was  saying,  this  young  man  was 
one  of  those  obstinate  fellows  who  take  it  into  their 
heads  that  they  are  bound  to  speak  the  truth  at  all 
hazards,  no  matter  how,  by  so  doing,  they  compromise 
the  honor  of  a  noble  family,  as  if,  forsooth !  there  was 
any  comparison  to  be  made  between  their  reputation 
for  honesty,  and  that  of  a  lineage  which  can  be  traced 


108  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;   OR, 

back  to  the  Conquest.  To  do  my  cousin  justice — for 
he  was  a  benevolent  man  and  an  indulgent  landlord — 
he  offered  to  bribe  the  young  fellow  to  a  large  amount, 
before  he  proceeded  to  harsh  measures,  for,  you  see, 
he  had  a  mother  and  a  young  wife  both  dependent  upon 
his  industry,  and  a  good  son  and  husband  he  was,  too ; 
but  it  was  all  of  no  use;  he  stuck  to  the  idea  that  he 
was  bound  in  conscience  to  say  what  he  believed  to  be 
the  truth.  What  was  the  consequence?  Why,  the 
poor,  silly  fellow  was  quietly  knocked  down  by  the 
press-gang  one  night  in  Portsmouth,  whither  he  had 
been  sent  by  my  cousin  on  some  business  arranged  for 
the  purpose,  and  carried  on  board  the  tender.  The 
battle  of  Trafalgar  was  fought  shortly  afterwards,  and  I 
believe  he  was  sent  on  board  Nelson's  frigate.  At  all 
events,  his  obstinacy  caused  his  own  and  his  wife's  pre- 
mature death,  for  the  young  woman  died  of  a  broken 
heart  when  she  heard  her  husband  had  been  seized  by 
the  press-gang,  and  his  mother  died  a  pauper  in  the 
parish  work-house. 

"  If  there  was  such  a  thing  as  a  press-gang  now-a-days, 
once  having  found  this  youth,  we  might  easily  get  rid 
of  him,  and  I  could  manage  that  he  should  not  come 
back  in  a  hurry.  Then  half  of  the  difficulty  having 
been  removed,  we  could  afterwards  turn  our  attention  to 
the  girl.  We  must  think  what  we  can  do  in  this  mat- 
ter ;  but  as  I  have  said,  the  first  thing  is  to  find  out  their 
whereabouts." 

"  I  have  an  idea  in  my  head  suggested  by  the  anec- 
dote your  lordship  has  been  pleased  to  relate,"  replied 
Gripes,  "which  perhaps  I  may  be  enabled  to  carry  into 
effect ;  but  until  I  see  my  way  more  clearly  I  will  not 
mention  it  to  your  lordship." 

"By-the-bye,"  said  Lord  Shropshire,  "that  man 
Hartley,  whom  we  sent  to  Philadelphia  to  discover 
whether  these  children  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert  were  living 
or  dead,  was  a  clever  fellow.  I  saw  him  the  other  day 
on  matters  connected  with  this  business,  and  he  was 
telling  me  that  he  found  them  out  at  Harrisburgh ;  and 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  109 

having  satisfied  himself,  as  he  thought,  though  there  he 
was  at  fault,  that  there  was  no  fear  of  them  troubling  us, 
he  took  a  minute  survey  of  their  persons,  and  then 
having  arranged  matters  to  his  satisfaction,  came  back  to 
England.  He  recollected  a  young  man  and  woman, 
brother  and  sister,  who  were  strolling  players,  and  en- 
gaged in  some  provincial  theatre  to  perform  the  under- 
lings parts,  who  very  much  resembled  the  Fitzherberts. 
He  found  them  out;  bargained  with  them  for  the  job; 
got  them  thoroughly  posted  up  as  to  the  locality  in  the 
United  States,  where  they  were  to  say  they  had  been 
bred  and  born,  then  introduced  them  as  the  veritable 
heirs,  at  the  same  time  taking  care  to  spread  a  report  in 
the  United  States,  in  certain  quarters,  to  the  effect  that 
his  advertisement  had  been  satisfactorily  answered,  in 
case  of  the  real  Simon.  Pure's  turning  up  in  future,  in 
order  that  if  any  body  really  should  take  an  interest  in 
the  case,  they  might  have  cold  water  thrown  upon  them 
at  the  outset.  It  was  really  a  clever  idea — quite  a  stroke 
of  genius — and  they  say  the  young  folks  play  their  part 
admirably.  I  myself  can  see  a  strong  family  re- 
semblance to  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  in  their  features;  but 
Gripes,  we  must  keep  them  clear  of  any  prying  Yankees. 
Of  course  the  poor  creatures'  education  has  been  ne- 
glected, and,  with  all  their  late  schooling  on  this  sub- 
ject, they  sometimes  betray  profound  and  unpardonable 
ignorance  as  regards  the  geography  of  their  pretended 
country.  The  other  day  they  met,  by  chance,  an 
American  gentleman,  who  entered  into  conversation 
with  the  youth,  and  I  was  perfectly  horrified  to  hear 
him  allude  in  the  course  of  the  conversation,  to  the 
State  of  Georgia,  which  he  said  was,  he  believed,  near 
the  city  of  Maryland.  As  for  the  Yankee,  he  was 
struck  with  amazement,  and  I  saw  was  about  to  ask 
him  some  more  questions,  when  I  adroitly  changed  the 
subject  of  conversation.  I  will  not  detain  you  longer 
this  morning,  Gripes.  Send  me  word  if  you  have  any 
further  intelligence,  and  I  wish  you  good  day." 


110  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

Gossip  in  an  English  village —  What  has  become  of  Hie  hero 
of  the  story  ? 

AGAIN  the  scene  is  shifted,  and  this  time  from  the 
confined  precincts  of  busy,  smoky  London,  to  a  pretty 
country  village,  in  one  of  the  midland  counties  of  Eng- 
land. It  is  the  evening  of  a  fine  day  in  early  summer, 
and  the  plowmen  and  shepherds,  and  others  who  have 
been  employed  in  the  fields  during  the  day,  have  all  re- 
turned from  their  labors,  and  have  mostly,  if  we  may 
judge  from  appearances,  partaken  of  their  evening  meal ; 
for  at  each  cottage-door  is  seated  an  old  peasant,  or  some- 
times a  couple,  smoking  their  pipes  and  chatting  over 
the  events  of  the  day. 

How  faarmer  Daintree  be  a  going  to  plant  you  big  lot, 
drained  off  t'common,  wi  wheat  next  autumn,  and  what 
a  rare  crop  o'hay  Vll  give  t'year.  How  dame  Plunkett, 
whose  husband  was  gored  by  faarmer  Giddings'  bull,  has 
had  two  cows  gien  her  by  t'Beverend,  God  bless  him ; 
he  bees  a  good  friend  to  poor  voalk.  How  Squoire  Tapley 
be  a  goin  to  cut  down  the  plantation  t'back  of  his  place, 
and  build  a  row  of  hous'n  on't  for  his  tenantry,  and  vari- 
ous such  like  matters,  of  as  grave  import  to  them,  good, 
simple  souls,  as  the  strife  and  turmoil  of  politics  to  the 
denizens  of  close,  pent-up  cities.  The  blacksmith's  forge, 
too,  is  by  degrees  accumulating  around  it  the  groups  of 
young  men,  who,  in  English  villages  invariably  make 
that  their  place  of  meeting  at  night,  and  there  they  stand 
attired  in  their  brown  smock  frocks  and  knee  breeches, 
and  stout  hobnailed  "  highlows,"  indulging  in  innocent 
skylarking,  or  interchanging  jokes  with  the  village  mai- 
dens, who,  at  this  particular  time  of  the  evening,  always 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS. 

have  some  errand  to  run,  or  some  neighbor  to  visit,  the 
performance  of  which  duty  invariably  leads  them  directly 
past  this  rendezvous  of  the  village  beaux. 

And  now  the  hour  has  grown  later — the  sun  has  set 
behind  the  hills  which  bound  the  landscape  to  the  west- 
ward, and  the  village  street  is  silent  and  deserted.  Let 
us  step  into  yonder  cottage,  where  a  group  of  villagers 
are  assembled,  and  listen  to  what  is  being  said.  That  is 
dame  Harris'  cottage,  and  she  is  famed  for  being  the  gos- 
sip of  the  village  of  Hemmingford,  and  upon  exciting  oc- 
casions her  lowly  abode  is,  comparatively  speaking,  as 
much  the  centre  of  attraction  to  the  news-seeker,  as  is  the 
corner  of  Nassau  and  Fulton-streets,  New  York. 

Beneath  the  ample  chimney,  around  the  embers  of  a 
wood  fire — for  it  is  still  early  in  the  season,  and  the  even- 
ings grow  chilly  after  nightfall,  are  seated  some  half- 
dozen  of  the  patriarchs  and  grandames  of  the  village, 
while  mingled,  here  and  there,  are  knots  of  the  younger 
members  of  the  small  community,  listening  to  the  talk 
of  the  old  folks,  and  sometimes  engrossing  the  conversa- 
tion almost  wholly  to  themselves. 

"  Tell  thee  I  see  'em  lad,  as  I  was  coming  back  from 
Brampton  t'  afternoon,  after  selling  the  basket  o'  eggs, 
I  bowt  at  Huntingdon,  and  skeery  voalks  t'  be.  Not 
muck  loike  t'  gentlevoalks  as  I've  been  a  used  to.  T' 
seemed  loike  t'  look  so  proud  and  conceited,  and  when 
the  voalks  bowed  and  curtsied  to  em,  they  just  bowed 
stiff  and  stately  in  return,  and,  when  the  squoire  who  was 
showing  'em  round  'long  wi'  a  Lunnen  gentleman,  spoke 
up  and  said,  '  This  be  dame  Harris  o'  Hemmingford,  an  old 
tenant  o'  mine,'  'stead  o'  saying,  as  real  gentlevoalks 
would  ha'  said:  'Glad  to  see  thee  dame  Harris,'  and 
smiling  pleasant  loike,  they  looked  as  if  they  never  seen 
poor  voalk  afore.  Tell  thee  lad  it's  my  opinion,  they 
beant  no  real  gentlevoalks  after  all." 

"  Who  is'tthout's  talking  about  Dame?"  said  a  young 
man  who  had  just  come  in. 

"Why,  the  new  voalks  as  has  come  to  take  possession 
of  Brampton  Manor,  least  wise  to  look  over  the  pro- 


1 112  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

perty — for  I  hear  the  dispute  beant  settled  yet,  though 
it's  been  a  powerful  long  time  agoing  on." 

"  Where  do  they  come  from  ?"  asked  another  of  the 
group." 

"  If  thou  means  the  new  voalks  of  the  Manor,"  said  the 
young  man  who  had  asked  the  preceding  question,  "  they 
come  from  'Merica." 

"  Where  abouts  be  that  ?" 

"  Oh,  a  long  ways  ower  t'  sea.  Jim  Boulton,  who  went 
with  t'  squoire's  son,  a  fishin',  three  years  agone,  and  who 
came  back  t'other  day  with  lashins  of  money,  telled  me 
all  about  'Merica,  and  a  powerful  nice  story  it  was,  too, 
I  can  tell  thee." 

"  I  tell  thou,  Sam  Watson,  and  I've  tellt  thou  afore, 
nayther  on  'em  went  a  fishin',"  said  an  old  man,  who  was 
smoking  his  pipe  in  the  corner  of  the  chimney.  "  What 
t'  dickens  should  squoire's  son  go  a  fishin'  three  years 
for  ?  and  dress  himself  up  all  in  gold  lace  and  foine 
clothes,  and  take  Jim  Boulton  to  'tend  on  him  loike,  if 
so  be  as  he  was  goin'  a  fishin'  ?  Thou  thinks  everybody 
as  goes  on  t'  water  goes  a  fishin'.  Squoire's  son  went  out 
a  midshipman  on  board  a  big  man-o'-war.  Squoire's 
butler  tellt  me  so  himself." 

"  Never  mind  whether  he  went  fishin'  or  no,"  cried  a 
chorus  of  voices.  "  What  did  Jim  Boulton  tell  thou 
'bout 'Merica,  Sam?" 

"  'Twould  take  time,  lads,  to  tell  thee  all  he  said.  He 
told  me  a  powerful  heap  o'  big  things,  half  of  which  I 
can't  recollect." 

"Tell  us  what  thou  can  recollect,"  said  they. 

"  Well,  lads,"  said  Sam  Watson,  proud  to  be  the  spokes- 
man of  the  party,  as  he  seated  himself  on  the  table  so  as 
to  be  in  the  centre  of  his  audience ;  "  Jim  Boulton  said 
'twas  a  powerful  great  country,  thousands  of  miles  across 
the  salt  water." 

"  Be  they  black  voalks  there  ?"  said  an  eager  listener, 
interrupting  the  speaker. 

"  Doant  thou  be  interrupting  me — else  I  won't  tell  the 
story,"  said  Sam.  "  No,  they  beant  black,  though  there 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  113 

be  lots  of  black  voalks  and  Injins  amongst  'em ;  they  be 
white  loike  we,  only  a  little  tanned,  loike  leather — 'cause 
the  sun's  powerful  hot  there ;  and  lads  there  beant  no 
poor  voalks — for  everybody  has  heaps  and  lashins  o' 
money,  and  does  jist  as  they  loikes,  and  no  one  dares 
speak  to  'em.  They  makes  a  king,  Jim  says,  every  four 
years,  from  among  the  people,  loike  ourselves,  and 
judges,  and  princesses,  and  coonstables,  and  all  that." 

"  Then  there  must  be  fine  goings  on,"  said  an  old  man, 
"if  there  beant  no  gentry  voalk,  and  no  one  to  keep  or- 
der, and  they  make  kings  and  judges  when  they  loikes." 

"  No,  Jim  says,  as  they  live  all  peaceable  loike,  barrin 
a  scrimmage  at  'lection  times,  same  as  'mong  ourselves, 
only  there,  everybody  votes." 

"  And  beant  there  no  polis  to  keep  order  ?"  asked 
another  of  the  listeners. 

"  Yes,  there  be  polis  ;  but  they  don't  need  be, — 'cause 
everything  be  in  perfect  order,  and  everybody  having 
plenty  of  money,  there  beant  no  crime.  Jim  was  in  New 
York,  a  mighty  big  city,  e'en  a-most  like  Lunnun,  he 
tell't  me,  and  to  see  the  way  the  money  were  flying  about, 
was  a  caution.  They  doan't  care  'boutgoold  and  silver, 
bless  ye.  A  lot  o'  gentlemen  writes  their  names  on  bits 
of  pictur  paper,  and  every  body  takes  the  paper  for  mo- 
ney ;  and  so  when  money  gets  short,  why  these  gentle- 
men makes  more." 

"And  does  the  king  of 'Merica  live  in  New  York?" 
asked  another. 

"  No,  Jim  says  the  king  lives  a  powerful  long  way  off 
south  ;  and  now  I  think  on't,  Ywant  the  king,  Jim  called 
him — but  seme  outlandish  name  I  never  hearn  on  afore, 
and  can't  think  on ;  but  summut  that  means  all  the  same. 
There  beant  no  king  in  New  York,  but  lots  o' judges  and 
aldermen,  and  such  like  voalks.  The  aldermen  be  the 
magistrates  of  the  city,  and  a  mighty  righteous  set  of 
voalks  they  be,  too.  Jim  said  sometimes  voalks  what 
wanted  a  job  done,  handy  like,  oil'ered  what  he  calls 
bribes — that  be  heaps  o'  money,  lads — so  as  to  get  a 
chance  to  do  it  neat ;  but  'taint  o'  no  use — they  alder- 


114  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

men  be  incorrup table;  they  be  chosen  from  the  people, 
by  the  people,  and  that  makes  'em  honest  and  true, 
lads." 

''Dash  my  wig  if  I  shouldn't  like  to  go  a  fishin'  to 
'Merica  myself,  if  'twant  for  t'old  woman  and  t'  chil- 
der,"  said  an  enthusiastic  young  man  among  the  audi- 
ence. 

"I  tell  thou  'taint  a  fishin'  they  goes't  'Merica,"  said 
the  old  man  before  spoken  of. 

"  Well,  never  thou  mind  whether  it  be  fishin'  or  not, 
feyther.  They  goes  over  t'water,  any  way,  and  'Merica 
must  be  a  mighty  fine  country  for  poor  voalks  to  live  in." 

As  it  was  getting  late,  the  party  broke  up,  and  went  to 
their  respective  dwellings,  one  of  the  old  men  as  he  left, 
saying  to  the  old  lady  who  kept  the  house — 

"  If  thou  hears  any  more  'bout  t'  new  gentlevoalks 
down  t'  manor,  Dame  Harris,  thou'll  let  us  hear  the 
news  to-morrow." 

To  explain  the  above  rustic  conversation,  I  should 
mention  that  Gripes  had,  at  the  request  of  Lord  Shrop- 
shire, taken  the  two  young  people  who  were  the  tools 
of  the  defrauding  parties,  down  to  the  property,  under 
pretence  of  looking  over  it,  and  to  make  their  persons 
known  to  the  villagers,  as  well  as  to  give  color  to  their 
scheme  in  the  eyes  of  the  world. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Hughes  and  I,  though  we  had  taken 
no  open  measures  until  we  were  perfectly  satisfied  upon 
what  ground  we  stood,  had  not  been  idle.  We  had 
searched  the  records  and  discovered  signs  of  fraud  and 
forgery,  which  we  had  taken  due  note  of,  and  at  length 
we  determined  to  proceed  to  work  boldly,  and  to  enter 
our  protest  at  "Doctors  Commons,"  against  the  parties 
in  the  possession  of  the  Huntingdonshire  property.  I 
called,  accordingly,  upon  my  young  friends  and  desired 
them  to  be  in  readiness  on  the  appointed  day,  when 
they  promised  to  be ;  and  that  day  week,  having  myself 
in  the  meantime  visited,  with  Mr.  Hughes,  the  property 
in  question,  I  called  at  the  Fitzherberts'  lodgings  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  them  with  me  to  the  "Doctors  Com- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  115 

mons,"  to  take  the  necessary  oaths;  but,  1  found  only 
Miss  Fitzherbert  at  home,  and  to  my  great  surprise 
and  dismay  I  learnt  from  the  poor  gir],  who  was 
dreadfully  agitated,  that  her  brother  had  not  been  home 
since  the  previous  morning,  when  he  had  gone  out 
with  the  object  of  witnessing  a  review  in  Hyde  Park. 

Here  was  another  stumbling  block  thrown  in  our 
way.  I  was  of  opinion  that  he  had  met  with  some  ac- 
cident ;  and  I  went  immediately  to  the  office  of  Mr. 
Hughes,  and  told  him  what  had  happened. 

He  shook  his  head  and  said:  "I  fear  it  is  an  acci- 
dent which  has  been  intentionally  caused.  My  dear, 
sir,  you  can  have  no  conception  of  the  villainy  of  the 
two  men  who  are  engaged  on  the  other  side.  Sorry 
indeed  am  I  that  men  of  such  character  can  gain  ad- 
mittance to  our  profession ;  and  to-day  I  have  learnt 
that  they  have  heard  that  you  and  our  two  young 
clients  have  arrived  in  this  country.  Take  my  advice, 
sir:  remove  the  young  lady  to  my  residence  at  once, 
where  she  will  be  properly  taken  care  of;  and  we  must 
immediately  set  to  work,  but  cautiously  and  quietly,  to 
endeavor  to  discover  her  brother.  I  only  hope 'that  his 
absence  may  prove  to  be  caused  by  an  accident  over 
which  others  had  no  control." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  Dissertation  upon  Novel  Writing  and  History — Some 
New  and  not  Uninteresting  Characters  Introduced  to  the 
Notice  of  the  Ifeader. 

BEFORE  I  commence  this  chapter  I  have  a  word  to 
say  to  my  readers.  It  has  been  asked  whether  this  nar- 
rative be  true  in  its  details.  Certain  persons  ask  how 
it  is  possible  that  one  man  can  be  here,  there,  and  every- 
where at  once ;  can  listen  to  the  conversation  in  private 
parlors;  can  know  what  is  going  on  at  the  same  mo- 


116  THE  LAWYER'S  STOBY;   OB, 

ment  here  and  thousands  of  miles  hence ;  what  oc- 
curred fifty  years  ago  and  that  which  is  daily  9ccur- 
ring  at  the  present  time.  To  these  I  reply:  Is  history 
true  ?  Has  anything  ever  been  written  in  a  narrative 
or  colloquial  form  in  which  every  word  and  action 
was  strictly  weighed,  and  not  a  jot  or  tittle  set  down 
which  did  not  occur  verbatim  et  seriatim  ?  Such  a  thing 
is  impossible.  Writers  as  well  as  historians  can  only 
recount  faithfully  the  events  which  actually  passed  under 
their  observation,  and  in  giving  a  narrative  of  the 
past  they  are  often  necessarily  compelled  to  imagine 
possible  events  in  order  to  arrive  at  positive  conclusions. 
To  effect  this,  all  writers  have,  in  a  great  measure,  to 
draw  upon  their  imaginations ;  the  particular  thread  of 
their  fancy  being  guided  by  the  well  known  habits  of  the 
characters  they  attempt  to  delineate,  and  the  events  that 
were  actually  brought  about.  The  historian  who  writes 
the  life  of  Julius  Caesar  or  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  was  not 
present  at  the  scenes  he  depicts ;  he  could  not  know 
what  transpired  in  the  domestic  privacy  of  the  two 
heroes  of  ancient  and  modern  times ;  but  he  reads  the 
various  narratives ;  he  compares  one  with  another,  and 
every  report  with  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  his  sub- 
ject. He  knows  what  did  actually  occur,  and  he  en- 
deavors to  give  an  idea  as  perfectly  as  possible,  of  the 
events  which  led  to  their  actual  occurrence,  and  gen- 
erally speaking,  he  is  perhaps  pretty  correct.  At  all 
events,  the  historian's  object  is  gained,  for,  by  dint  of 
patient  and  diligent  investigation,  he  has  given  the  most 
plausible  narrative  of  the  various  trifling  causes  which 
put  together,  and  acting  one  with  the  other,  have  led? 
according  to  history,  to  the  "  wreck  of  empires  and  the 
shock  of  worlds." 

The  novelist,  in  depicting  truth  beneath  the  garb  of 
fiction,  has  a  some  what  similar  duty  to  perform,  with  this 
difference,  viz.,  that  he,  if  depicting  a  series  of  events  of 
late  occurrence,  is  often  actually  an  eye-witness  of  a 
great  many  of  the  circumstances  which  he  relates:  he, 
probably,  is  acquainted  with  all,  or  at  any  rate,  with 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  117 

most  of  the  characters,  and  he  knows  the  idiosyncracies 
of  the  remainder.  He  has  had  ocular  demonstration  of 
the  occurrence  of  the  principal  facts  which  he  places 
before  his  readers,  and,  with  this  knowledge,  he  has  no 
difficulty  in  surmising  the  minor  causes  which  have  led 
to  their  consummation.  He  is  not  endowed  with  ubi- 
quity, nor  with  the  power  of  transporting  himself  on 
some  fairy  wand,  hither  and  thither  in  a  moment,  as  may 
suit  his  purpose  ;  nor,  like  the  wandering  Jew,  is  he  per- 
sonally conversant  with  events  which  happened  so  long 
ago  as  to  render  such  a  supposition  impossible ;  but  a 
careful  observer  of  human  nature  can  readily  conceive, 
knowing  the  character  and  the  position  of  those  of  whom 
he  writes,  and  knowing,  also,  that  the  chief  events  of 
which  he  speaks  did  occur,  what  were  likely  to  have 
been  the  motives  which  led  the  actors  on  to  the  consum- 
mation of  their  projects. 

I  therefore  assure  the  reader  that,  although  in  some, 
not  in  all  instances,  the  names  are  disguised,  the  cha- 
racters are,  or  have  been  living  actors  on  this  world's 
busy  scene. 

The  heirs  Fitzherbert  are  true  characters.  "  Gripes 
and  Cheatem"  are  well-known  characters  in  London.  So 
is  Mr.  Hughes,  the  Earl  of  Shropshire,  Lord  Henry  Fitz- 
herbert, and  the  various  dramatis  personce,  I  have  intro- 
duced in  the  preceding  chapters.  In  the  opening  of  this 
narrative  I  stated  that  I  was  about  to  tell  a  tale  of  fraud 
and  conspiracy,  in  the  detection  and  partial  prevention 
of  which  I  was  an  agent ;  but  I  do  not  pretend  to  have 
listened  to  every  conversation  that  I  have  mentioned  as 
having  taken  place ;  and,  more  than  that,  I  have  in- 
formed the  reader,  in  order  to  his  better  understanding 
of  the  story,  of  much  that  I  was  ignorant  of  myself  until 
matters  had  reached  a  riper  state,  than  they  have,  in  the 
present  stage  of  my  story  arrived  at.  Of  course,  I  only 
pretend  to  speak  of  that  which  came  under  my  own  ob- 
servation as  having  occurred  word  and  deed :  but  the 
facts  are  truth,  however,  the  causes  may  often  unavoid- 
ably deviate  into  fiction. 


118  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

Having  thus  given  what  I  consider  a  perfectly  satis- 
factory explanation  and  reply  to  carping  critics,  I  think  I 
may  lay  a  claim  for  the  conscientious  novelist  to  a  position 
as  near  the  truth  as  that  of  any  other  writer.  It  is  im- 
possible for  any  man  to  assert  honestly  that  all  he  state? 
is  strictly  true.  The  limited  period  of  human  life,  and 
the  confined  sphere  of  human  action,  forbid  any  such 
assertion.  If,  after  this,  any  one  should  doubt,  or  be 
seized  with  a  desire  to  criticise,  I  beg  them  to  remember 
how,  in  telling  an  anecdote  relating  to  facts  which  they 
have  themselves  witnessed,  they  often  find  it  necessary, 
for  the  elucidation  of  their  story,  to  suppose  much  that 
they  have  not  seen ;  and,  also,  to  recollect  the  Latin 
legal  quotation,  "  Super  subjectum  materiam"  (No  man 
can  be  held  professionally  responsible  for  opinions 
which  have  been  founded,  super  subjectum  materiam,  on 
the  statement  submitted  to  him  by  his  clients,  or  others.) 

To  proceed  with  my  story : — 

It  was  on  a  glorious  evening  in  autumn,  when  woodland 
scenery  assumes  its  most  gorgeous  aspect,  before  the  leaves 
fade  away  and  wither  beneath  the  cold  blasts  of  winter, 
a  few  months  after  the  period  at  which  my  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Fitzherberts  commenced,  that  a  young  la- 
dy and  gentleman,  accompanied  by  an  elder  couple,  were 
driving  in  an  open  carriage  amidst  some  of  the  magnifi- 
cent scenery  to  be  found  in  the  proximity  of  the  Alle- 
ghany  mountains  in  Virginia.  The  party  were  on  their 
way  home  after  a  summer  tour  in  their  own  carriage 
over  the  greater  portion  of  the  State.  They  resided  at 
Christianbourg,  and  were  approaching  it  from  the  north- 
ward, skirting  as  nearly  as  possible  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain range,  having  chosen  this  route,  bad  as  were  the 
roads  and  scanty  and  wide  apart  the  means  of  accommo- 
dation, from  a  desire  to  view  a  large  extent  of  forest 
land  which  had  come  into  the  possession,  some  years  be- 
fore, of  the  father  of  the  young  lady  alluded  to,  and 
which  by  will  had  been  left  as  a  legacy  to  her.  The 
parties  with  her  were  an  uncle  and  aunt  her  guardians 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  119 

until  she  became  of  age,  (she  was  now  about  seventeen,) 
and  her  cousin,  the  son  of  the  elder  couple. 

"  Rather  a  wild-looking  demesne,  this  of  yours,  Juliet," 
said  the  old  gentleman;  "but  withal,  a  beautiful  and 
romantic  spot.  Nature  has  embellished  it  bountifully 
and  though  now  it  may  not  be  of  much  productive  value, 
when  art  steps  in  and  smooths  off  nature's  handiwork,  it 
will  render  you  one  of  the  richest  heiresses  in  the  United 
States.  What  splendid  sites  in  the  clearings  amidst 
those  noble  monarchs  of  the  forest,  to  build  a  stately  man- 
sion, and  to  construct  park  avenues  on  the  grandest  scale, 
where  a  young  and  happy  couple  might  pass  their  days 
in  a  round  of  mutual  love  and  connubial  bliss,  undis- 
turbed, at  any  rate,  for  years  to  come,  by  the  encroach- 
ment of  busy  cities,  with  their  manufactories,  steam  and 
saw-mills,  railroads,  and  all  the  other  accessories  which, 
wide  as  is  this  favored  land  of  ours,  are  fast  occupying 
every  possible  abiding  place.  George  is  a  lucky  fellow. 
If  my  wife  was  not  sitting  by  my  side,  I  should  almost 
wish  I  were  twenty  years  younger,  that  I  might  have  a 
chance  to  supplant  him  in  his  'fair  lady's'  favor.  It 
would  be  no  '  love  in  a  cottage'  here — but  love  in  a  pa- 
lace, with  all  the  accessories  of  wealth  and  magnificence, 
natural  and  artificial  to  boot,  that  the  most  romantic  ima- 
gination could  desire." 

The  young  lady  thus  addressed,  pouted  a  little  as  she 
listened  to  the  latter  portion  of  this  speech,  and  seemed 
by  no  means  to  reciprocate  the  advances  of  the  young 
man  by  whose  side  she  was  seated,  and  who,  at  the  men- 
tion of  his  name  by  his  father,  had  colored  slightly  and 
glanced  towards  her,  his  eyes  expressive  of  an  admira- 
tion which  seemed  to  appeal  to  hers  for  a  reply  of  the 
same  significant  character ;  but  presently  recovering  her- 
self, and  blushing  in  a  manner  that  considerably  enhanced 
her  beauty,  as  if  she  were  ashamed  of  showing  her  petu- 
lant feelings — although,  no  doubt,  the  young  man  attri- 
buted the  blush  to  another  cause — she  said : 

"  It  is  indeed  a  most  romantic  and  beautiful  spot,  un- 
cle, that  at  which  we  are  now  gazing,  and,  indeed,  tho 


120  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

whole  extent  of  the  property  is  beautiful.  It  seems  to 
develope  every  variety  of  scenery.  Some  time  ago  we 
drove  past  a  waterfall.  Did  you  notice  how  the  spray 
glistened  in  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  like  diamonds, 
showing  such  a  lovely  contrast  to  the  many  hued  foliage 
of  the  forest  trees,  and  here  and  there  we  have  passed  by 
level  patches  of  great  extent,  which  appear  as  if  they  had 
been  intended  by  nature  for  future  pasture  grounds ;  and 
then  the  gloomy  rocky  summits  of  the  Alleghanies,  tow- 
ering in  the  distant  back  ground,  over  all  this  varied 
luxuriance  of  landscape,  altogether  forms  a  picture  such 
as  is  seldom  witnessed.  He  who  first  selected  and  pur- 
chased this  lovely  oasis,  in  the  comparatively  desert, 
waste  lands  which  hems  it  in,  must  have  had  an  eye — 
yes,  and  a  soul  too,  for  the  picturesque." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  elderly  gentleman,  "  and  then  to 
think  how  cheaply  your  father  purchased  it ;  it  was,  you 
know,  property  confiscated  during  the  last  war,  and  laid 
for  some  years  uncared  for,  and  I  may  say  forgotten,  un- 
til your  father  obtained  it  for  a  mere  song,  as  the  vul- 
gar saying  is." 

"  That  it  is,  which  renders  it  impossible,  some  how  or 
other,  for  me  to  consider  the  property  really  mine,  uncle," 
continued  the  young  lady.  "I  know,  too,  that  my  father 
for  many  years  scarcely  considered  himself  its  owner,  ex- 
cept upon  trust ;  and  repeatedly  I  have  heard  him  say 
that  if  he  knew  the  original  claimant  from  whom  it  was 
confiscated,  he  should  insist  upon  his  taking  a  much  more 
liberal  price  for  the  title  deeds.  It  was  only  after  my 
mother's  death,  and  when  he  found  that  there  was  little 
likelihood  of  the  original  purchaser  ever  being  found, 
that  he  consented  to  insert  it  in  his  will  as  a  legacy  to 
'me;  and  so,  uncle,"  she  added  laughingly,  "I  only  con- 
sider myself  to  be  the  heiress  of  this  lovely  property  upon 
trust.  Besides,  I  am  rich  enough  without  it,  any  way." 

''Pooh,  poohl"  said  the  old  gentleman,  "Edward  had 
ridiculous  notions  of  his  own.  I  hope  you  have  not  in- 
herited his  strange  ideas  with  his  property.  Recollect 
that  although  you  have  a  fortune  of  your  own  besides 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  121 

this  estate,  what  a  splendid  addition  this  will  make  to  it. 
You  and  George  will  be  the  wealthiest  couple  in  the 
States,  seme  twenty  or  thirty  years  hence."  .  Again  the 
pout  was  visible  upon  the  pretty  lips  of  the  young  lady, 
and  as  rapidly  again  did  she  endeavor  to  hide  it,  and  to 
dissemble  her  feelings,  as  regarded  the  evident  under- 
standing between  her  uncle  and  cousin.  She,  however, 
replied : 

"Indeed,  uncle,  I  think  I  do  possess  all  my  father's 
conscientiousness,  as  regards  the  possession  of  this  pro- 
perty. Mine  legally  it  may  be — but  in  holding  it,  I  am 
perhaps  aiding  to  involve  others  in  poverty — perhaps  in 
ruin.  May  be  it  was  all  the  poor  man,  from  whom  it 
was  confiscated,  possessed." 

"  Your  ideas,  Juliet,  are  far  too  sentimental  for  me  to 
understand, "replied .the old  gentleman.  "You  are  going 
to  Europe,  with  your  aunt,  shortly.  You  had  better  make 
a  search  while  in  England,  which  country,  of  course,  you 
will  visit  first ;  and,  perhaps  you  may  discover  the  ori- 
ginal possessor  you  allude  to,  and  magnanimously  make 
the  property  over  to  him — though  the  heirs  of  the  ori- 
ginal claimant,  in  my  humble  opinion,  are  more  likely  to 
be  found  amongst  some  of  the  descendants  of  Powhattan, 
the  once  Indian  chief  of  this  territory,  who  are  said  still 
to  be  residing  in  the  State." 

It  was  growing  late,  and  the  party  drove  to  the  plan- 
tation near  the  village  where  they  were  stopping,  and  the 
subject  of  conversation  was  dropped. 

Juliet  Hawthorne  was  the  daughter  of  English  parents, 
who  had  emigrated  to  America  before  she  was  born. — 
Her  father  had  been  possessed  of  considerable  property 
when  he  landed  in  America,  with  which  he  had  at  first 
embarked  in  business  and  been  very  successful;  subse- 
quently he  had  speculated  in  land,  and  in  this  new  pro- 
fession, fortune  had  likewise  befriended  him — so  that  at 
the  period  of  his  death,  about  a  twelve  month  before, 
when  his  daughter  Juliet  was  in  her  sixteenth  year,  he 
was  the  possessor  of  a  considerable  fortune,  the  whole  of 
which  had  been  left  to  her ;  for  she  was  an  only  child, 

6 


122  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

born  several  years  after  the  marriage  of  her  father  and 
mother.  Her  mother  had  been  dead  about  three  years, 
and  she  was  left  by  her" father's  will  under  the  guardian- 
ship of  Mr.  Lyman,  her  uncle,  a  gentleman  who  had  mar- 
ried her  father's  sister,  who  had  accompanied  the  young 
lady's  parents  from  England.  It  was  this  lady,  under 
whose  care  Juliet  was  about  to  visit  Europe,  which  she 
was  anxious  to  see — especially  England,  the  birth-place 
of  her  father  and  mother.  As  the  reader  will  have  per- 
ceived, it  was  the  old  gentleman's  wish  that  his  son 
should  marry  his  ward — not  from  any  selfish  motive ; 
but  because  he  had  taken  it  into  his  head  that,  as  they 
were  cousins,  and  had  been  brought  up  from  childhood 
together,  it  was  perfectly  natural  they  should  love,  and 
eventually  marry  each  other. 

Juliet  might  and  probably  did  love  her  cousin  George 
well  enough  as  a  cousin ;  but,  she  had  begun  to  conceive 
a  dislike  to  him  now  that  her  uncle  seemed  desirous  to 
force  him  upon  her  as  a  husband — though  the  old  man 
was  so  kind  to  her,  that  she  could  not  find  it  in  her  heart 
to  tell  him  the  real  state  of  her  feelings  towards  his  son. 
As  to  George  Lyman  himself,  he  had  certainly  received 
sufficient  rebuffs,  though  delicately  administered,  to  as- 
sure him  that  his  attentions  were  distasteful  to  his  fair 
cousin ;  but  he  was  one  of  those  people  who  cannot  be 
persuaded  to  take  a  hint.  He  thought,  as  his  father  did, 
that  as  he  and  Juliet  had  been  brought  up  in  each  other's 
society,  she  must  love  him  as  much  as  he  did  her,  and  it 
would  have  been  a  difficult  matter  to  have  persuaded 
him  otherwise. 

Mrs.  Lyman,  with  woman's  quick  perception,  had 
guessed  how  matters  stood  between  the  young  folks,  and 
though  she  felt  for  her  son,  she  knew  that  he  was  not  of 
a  temperament  to  take  a  disappointment  of  this  kind 
much  to  heart.  It  was  partly  for  the  purpose  of  separat- 
ing the  young  people  for  a  time,  and  partly  on  account 
of  the  desire  she  had  to  re-visit  her  native  land,  that  had 
induced  her  to  persuade  her  husband  to  hasten  the  peri- 
od of  a  visit  to  Europe  that  had  long  been  talked  of.  He 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  123 

could  not  go  with  her,  as  lie  had  lately  purchased  a  new 
plantation,  the  contemplated  improvements  on  which  re- 
quired his  own  and  his  son's  close  superintendence — so 
they  had  procured  the  escort  jof  a  friend  to  New  York, 
whence  they  were  to  take  shipping;  and  they  were  to  be 
met  at  Liverpool  by  some  relatives  of  Mrs.  Lyman,  who 
resided  at  Canterbury,  and  with  whom  they  were  to  spend 
some  time. 

Juliet  was  a  tall,  handsome  girl,  uniting  in  her  fea- 
tures the  bloom  and  freshness  of  an  English  girl  with 
the  grace  and  delicate  beauty  of  a  daughter  of  the  "  Old 
Dominion."  She  was  naturally  kind  and  generous,  but 
impulsive ;  and  from  having  had  her  own  way  from  the 
first  day  she  commenced  to  lisp  forth  her  childish  fancies, 
she  had  a  will  of  her  own,  which  she  somewhat  pertina- 
ciously adhered  to.  Fortunately  it  was  generally  exer- 
cised in  the  cause  of  right  and  justice,  and  therefore, 
while  she  was  beloved  by  her  familiar  friends,  she  was 
perfectly  idolized  by  the  dependants  and  slaves  on  her 
father's  and  uncle's  estates,  with  whom  she  had  been  a 
favorite  from  an  infant,  arid  who  would  have  done  any- 
thing in  their  power  to  give  pleasure  to  their  young 
mistress. 

George  Lyman,  by  many  believed  to  be  her  accepted 
lover,  was  quite  opposite  to  her  in  disposition.  He  was 
calm,  cool  and  calculating,  never  put  out  of  the  way, 
whatever  happened,  yet  withal,  a  good-hearted,  manly, 
and  good-looking  youth,  for  all  he  could  not  get  into  the 
good  graces  of  his  fair  consin.  And  this  was  from  no 
prior  attachment  on  the  part  of  Miss  Hawthorne ;  for  at 
this  period,  although  like  most  young  ladies  she  had,  no ' 
doubt,  both  thought  of  love  and  dreamed  of  marriage, 
her  affections  had  not  been  fixed  upon  any  one,  as  a 
lover,  and  she  was,  in  that  respect,  still  left  . 

"  To  maiden  meditation,  fancy  free." 

Having  thus  introduced  these  new  characters  to  my 
readers,  I  shall  leave  them  at  this  point  until,  as  the 
farther  progress  of  this  drama  of  real  life  is  developed, 
they  are  again  brought  forward  upon  the  stage. 


124  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OB, 


CHAPTEK  X. 

Several   Persons   of   Consideration  are   Introduced    in    a 

Visit  to    the  "  Cat  ana  Bagpipes" — A    Yankee  Lawyer 

finds  himself  in  rather   a  Ludicrous   Situation,    and  is 

so  found  by  his  friend — Some  suspicion  is  aroused  as 

to  the  fate  of  the  Hero. 

LET  me  now  return  to  the  subject  of  young  Fitz- 
herbert.'s  disappearance. 

Agreeably  to  the  advice  of  Mr.  Hughes,  I  immedi- 
ately caused  Georgiana  to  remove  to  his  residence,  where, 
tinder  the  watchful  guardianship  of  Mr.  Hughes,  she, 
at  all  events,  was  safe  from  molestation,  and  there  I 
left  her,  in  sad  apprehension  respecting  her  brother's 
fate,  with  the  somewhat  poor  consolation,  yet  all  I  was 
enabled  to  bestow,  that  Mr.  Hughes  and  I.  would  do 
everything  in  our  power  to  discover  what  had  befallen 
him. 

I  then  got  into  a  stage  at  the  end  of  the  Common, 
and  in  the  course  of  an  hour  was  set  down  near  Mr. 
Hughes'  office  in  Lincoln's-inn. 

"  What  steps  do  you  think  it  best  for  us  to  pursue  ?" 
said  I,  after  we  had  discussed  the  subject  of  the  young 
man's  sudden  disappearance,  at  some  length. 

"I  scarcely  know;  you  see,  it  appears  very  evident 
to  me,  from  various  occurrences,  that  the  parties  en- 
gaged in  this  business,  (this  fraudulent  business,  I 
should  perhaps  call  it ;  but  as  yet  we  have  no  legitimate 
proof  that  it  is  so,  and  to  make  use  of  that  expression, 
would  subject  me  to  libel),  but,  as  I  was  saying,  it  is 
evident  to  me  that  they  know  you  and  the  Fitzherberts 
are  in  this  country,  I  believe  I.  mentioned  that  to  you 
before,  so  that  further  attempt  at  secrecy  on  our  part, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  125 

would  be  useless ;  therefore,  I  should  say,  the  best 
thing  that  could  be  done,  would  be  to  advertise  in  the 
Times,  describing  the  youth,  and  offering  a  reward  for 
any  information  that  can  be  obtained  respecting  him, 
and  in  the  course  of  the  day,  I  will  call  and  see  the  city 
editor,  of  that  paper,  with  whom  I  am  acquainted,  and  I 
will  state  the  facts  of  the  singular  disappearance  of  the 
young  man  to  him,  and  perhaps  he  will  insert  a  short 
editorial  paragraph.  You  know  the  Times  office,  in 
Printing  House  Square.  You  recollect  I  pointed  it  out 
to  you  the  other  day  ?  "Well,  I  have  got  this  brief  to 
attend  to  this  morning ;  suppose  you  drop  in  en  passant, 
and  leave  the  advertisement,  and  I  will  attend  to  the 
rest." 

I  accordingly  caused  an  advertisement  to  be  inserted, 
of  the  nature  Mr.  Hughes  had  suggested,  desiring  all 
communications  to  be  addressed  to  me,  at  my  hotel,  as  it 
was  thought  advisable  not  to  let  it  be  known  as  yet,  that 
a  gentleman  of  Mr.  Hughes'  celebrity  in  the  profession, 
was  engaged  in  the  matter,  lest  it  might  put  the  adverse 
parties  more  strictly  on  their  guard. 

Two  days  afterwards,  I  received  a  dirty,  square-folded 
note,  which  ran  as  follows : — 

"  SIR, — I  see  an  advertisement  in  the  Times,  axin  for 
hinformation  of  a  young  man  as  is  supposed  to  have  met 
with  some  haxident,  or  to  have  fell  into  bad  hands,  from 
the  description  of  the  young  man  i  think  as  how  he  was 
at  my  house  with  some  rum  lookin  coves  on  vensday 
night.  If  so  be  as  twas  he,  they  was  all  tipsy,  if  you 
will  call  at  my  house  at  the  sign  of  the  Cat  and  Bagpipes, 
near  Greenwich  hospitle,  you  shall  here  all  i  have  to  tell 
on  the  subject,  from  your  humble  servant, 

THOMAS   MACE, 

landlord  of  the  Cat  and  Bagpipes, 

where  the  best  XX,  "  old  Tom,"  and  Mieux  and  cos 
porter,  besides  other  likers,  can  be  procured  to  perfection." 

This  elegant  epistle,  sealed  with  a  sprawling  red  wafer, 


126  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

upon  which:  the  impression  of  a  big,  dirty  thumb  was 
clearly  visible,  at  once  determined  me  to  call  at  the 
place  known  by  the  euphonious  and  sensible  name  of 
the  "  Cat  and  Bagpipes,"  and  hastily  swallowing  my 
breakfast,  I  made  the  best  of  my  way  thither.  I  found 
it  to  be  a  public  house  of  considerable  dimensions,  and 
apparently  doing  a  thriving  business,  although  the  fre- 
quenters seemed  to  be  men  of  the  lowest  class.  I  do 
not  mean  hard  working  mechanics,  sailors  and  laborers, 
but  well,  although  gaudily  dressed  fellows,  whose 
dogged,  brutal  countenances  were  at  once  a  sufficient 
index  of  their  minds.  . 

Unfortunately  for  me,  it  was  Fair  day  at  Greenwich, 
and  the  house  was  more  than  usually  crowded  with 
visitors,  so  that  it  was  a  long  time  before  I  could  get  an 
opportunity  to  speak  with  the  landlord,  who  was  a  fat, 
paunchy  fellow,  with  a  broad,  fresh  colored,  good  hu- 
mored face,  and  who,  notwithstanding  his  immense  girth 
displayed  no  inconsiderable  agility  in  moving  to  and 
fro  as  he  attended  to  the  wants  of,  or  cracked  a  rude 
joke  with  his  customers. 

At  length  the  festivities  of  the  day  drew  all  away  but 
two,  who  were  still  chatting  together  over  a  pot  of  beer, 
about  some  pugilistic  combat  that  either  had  occurred. 
or  was  shortly  to  come  off.  They,  at  last,  rose  and 
sauntered  out  of  the  bar  room,  and  then  I  stepped  up  to 
the  landlord  and  told  him  that  I  was  the  person  who  was 
in  search  of  the  missing  young  gentleman,  respecting 
whom  he  had  addressed  a  note  to  me. 

"Glad  to  see  you,  sir — glad  to  see  you,"  was  his  reply, 
as  he  stretched  out  his  large,  brawny  fist,  and  almost 
wrenched  my  hand  off,  as  a  token  of  welcome.  "  Step 
inside  to  the  inner  bar,  sir,  and  we  will  talk  the  matter 
over ;  here,  you  Sally  !"  calling  to  a  girl  in  the  kitchen  ; 
14  come  and  attend  to  the  bar,  lass,  while  I  and  this 
gentleman  has  a  confab  together.  By-the-bye,"  added 
he,  suddenly,  as  if  impressed  with  a  notion  that  he  had 
forgotten  to  give  me  some  information  he  ought  to  have 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  127 

done  before,  "  do  you  know  who  them  two  gentlemen 
are  who  have  just  gone  out  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  replied. 

"  D — n  it,  I  ought  to  have  told  you  and  introduced 
yer,  d'ye  see?  'taint  everyday  day  you  get  such  a 
chance;  them  two  gentlemen,"  continued  he,  stretch- 
ing his  bullet  shaped  head  towards  me,  and  speaking  as 
if  in  a  confidential  whisper,  "was  no  less  persons  than 
Tom  Crib  and  Jack  Langan  /"  and  he  nodded  his  head 
sagely,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  What  do  you  think  of 
that,  now?" 

"I  have  not  the  pleasure,"  said  I,  "  to  know  Messrs. 
Crib  and  Langan,  though  I  have  no  doubt  they  are 
very  worthy  people." 

"  Worthy  people !  I  believe  yer,  slap  up,  and  no 
mistake.  There  ain't  no  gammon  about  them.  Of 
course  you  know  that;  you've  hearn  on  'em?" 

"  Not  that  I  recollect,"  said  I.  "  I  am  afraid  I  must 
acknowledge  my  ignorance." 

u  Not  know  nor  never  hearn  on  Tom  Crib  and  Jack 
Langan,  the  fighting  men!"  screamed  rather  than  spoke 
the  worthy  landlord  of  the  Cat  and  Bagpipes.  "  Why, 
you  must  be  a  regular  hignoramus;  where  the  d — 1 
was  yer  fetched  up  ?" 

Unwilling  to  give  offence  to  a  man  from  whom  I  hoped 
to  yet  glean  some  information  respecting  my  missing 
client,  I  replied —  . 

*'  My  good  sir,  you  are  not  aware  that  I  am  an  Am- 
erican, and  therefore  am  unacquainted  possibly  with 
certain  of  the  distinguished  men  of  your  country." 

"  An  American,  eh  ?"  said  mine  host,  scrutinizing 
me  more  closely  ;  "and  aren't  they  heern  of  Tom  Crib 
and  Jack  Langan  in  America-?  Guess  they  have,  old 
fellow." 

.  "  May  be  they  have,"  replied  I ;  "  but  my  profes- 
sional avocations  have  always  kept  me  so  constantly  em- 
ployed that  I  may  be  ignorant  of  much  that  is  well 
known  in  my  own  country,  regarding  the  great  men  of 
your  country  in  that  line  of  business." 


128  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

"  And  so,  now,  you've  come  over  to  Hingland  to  get 
a  little  'lightenment  on  that  'ere  subject.  Well,  old  fel- 
low, I  honors  yer  for  your  pluck.  Englishmen  allers 
likes  pluck ;  and  I  can  tell  yer,  the  Cat  and  Bagpipes 
is  the  best  place  yer  could  have  picked  out  to  get  'light- 
enment, 'mong  a  thousand.  My  house  is  the  reg'lar 
house  o'  call,  on  the  Greenwich  road,  for  them  'ere  coves, 
and  Tom  Mace  is  just  the  boy  can  put  you  up  to  a  thing 
or  two." 

"  But,  my  good  sir,  you  forget ;  my  business  here 
to-day  was  to  learn  more  respecting  the  information 
you  professed  to  be  able  to  give,  of  a  young  gentle- 
man who  came  to  England  with  me." 

"  Oh,  I  see  now ;  you  brought  the  young  un  over 
from  America,  and  then  expected  to  keep  him  close 
in  London,  eh  ?  But  he  was  too  wide  awake,  so  he 
guv  his  gov'ner  the  slip.  That's  the  dodge,  is  it?" 

"No,"  said  I,  getting  out  of  patience.  "I  came  over 
on  business  nearly  concerning  this  young  man,  and  I 
am  afraid  that  he  has  fallen  into  bad  hands.  I  am 
willing  to  pay  liberally  for  any  information  you  can 
give  that  may  be  of  service  in  discovering  his  where- 
abouts. If  you  have  none  to  give,  tell  me  so  at  once, 
and  I  will  wish  you  good  morning." 

"  You  needn't  be  so  gumptious,  guv'ner,"  replied  the 
landlord.  "  Fell  into  bad  hands,  eh  !  Well,  the  young 
un  were  mortal  drunk,  if  that  was  he  as  was  here  ;  that's 
a  fact,  and  no  mistake.  He's  been  a  betting  and  a 
spending  money  like  winkin',  I  s'pose,  eh?" 

"If  you  know  anything  of  the  young  man,  pray  let 
me  know  at  once,  without  further  circumlocution  ?" 

The  landlord  was  about  to  reply,  when  two  customers 
who  heard  his  voice  began  to  bawl  lustily  for  him  to 
make  his  appearance,  and  he  hurried  to  the  bar  to  greet 
them. 

"Hilloa,  Snipes!  old  feller,  when  did  you  come  down 
from  Newmarket  ?"  said  he,  addressing  a  little  dapper 
man,  who  stood  on  the  outer  side  of  the  bar,  smoking  a 
cigar,  and  drinking  a  mixture  of  gin  and  beer.  "  Come 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  129 

down  with  Sam,  eh?  on  the  coach.  How.  do,  Sam? 
How  goes  it,  old  cock  ?  All  right,  eh  ?" 

The  person  addressed  as  Sam,  was  a  stout,  portly  man, 
attired  in  a  rough  white  overcoat,  with  a  vast  number  of 
capes,  and  having  apparently  a  like  imposing  display  of 
mufflers  tied  round  his  throat,  completely  enveloping  his 
ample  chin. 

"  So,  so,  Tom ;  so,  so ;"  said  the  man  addressed  as 
Sam.  "  How  do  times  go  with  you  ?  pretty  brisk,  eh  ? 
You  see  Snipes  and  I  thought  we'd  like  to  see  some  of 
the  frolickin'  a  goin'  on  at  the  fair  to-day,  so  I  fetched 
him  down  on  the  '  Highflyer,'  and  we  thought  as  we'd 
come  and  see  an  old  chum,  jist  for  old  acquaintance  sake. 
Have  a  drop  of  brandy,  Tom  ?" 

"  Yes,  a  drop  of  brandy  all  round,"  chimed  in  the 
little,  dapper  man,  emptying  his  tumbler  at  a  draught. 
"  Won't  that  genelman,"  pointing  to  me,  "jine  us,  eh?" 

"No,  I  thank  you,"  I  replied.  "I  never  taste  liquor 
of  any  kind  so  early  in  the  day.v 

"  Well,  no  offence,  master,  I  hope.  Here's  luck  all 
the  same ;"  nodding  to  me,  as  he  filled  a  wine  glass  with 
brandy,  and  drank  it  off. 

After  some  further  conversation,  the  visitors  withdrew, 
and  then  I  hoped  that  the  required  information  would 
be  forthcoming  at  last.  But  the  landlord  was  so  de- 
lighted at  the  opportunity  of  introducing  to  me  two 
more  British  worthies,  that  I  saw  it  was  useless  to  put  in 
a  word  respecting  my  business  until  he  had  done  speak- 
ing of  his  own. 

"  I  told  yer,  yer  was  in  luck  for  an  American  as  wanted 
to  see  life  in  Hingland,  to  come  to  my  crib ;  ne'er  a 
better  spot  'twixt  this  and  Charin'  Cross  to  see  life. 
That  ere  big  man  as  you  see'djust  now  is  Sam  Billings, 
as  drives  the  Highflyer  'twixt  London  and  Newmarket ; 
the  best  vip  on  the  road,  since  the  railroads  are  send- 
ing' all  the  long  stages  to  smash.  But,  Lor'  bless  you! 
the  Newmarket  boys,  the  big  uns  that  is,  they  still  keep 
up  the  Highflyer.  Cause  vy  ?  Sam's  sich  a  tarnation 
good  vip.  He  drives  more  lords  to  arid  fro  on  race- days 


130  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

than  ever  you  see'd  in  America.  They  all  goes  by 
Sam's  stage,  and  it's  a  sight  to  see  ;em  a  shakin'  hands 
along  on  him ;  and  '  Vou't  you  take  a  drop  o'  summut, 
Sam?'  says  von  ;  and  '  Von't  you  take  a  drop  o'  sum- 
muc,  Sam?'  says  another.  Sam's  real  fly  with  the  nobs, 
I  can  tell  yer.  And  t'other  little  chap  is  Jack  Snipes, 
the  best  jockey  as  rides  at  Newmarket.  He's  von  the 
Lord  knows  how  many  silver  cups.  It's  a  sight  to  see 
Jack  Snipes  a  cuttin'  round  the  course  on  trainin'  days. 
Lots  o'  ladies  goes  to  look  at  him;  and  then,  my  eye! 
o'  race  days  ! !  Sich  a  flockin  in  of  folks — sich  a  cheerin' 
and  a  wavin'  o'  handkerchers,  you  never  see'd  in  your 
born  days." 

Here  the  landlord  got  quite  excited  with  his  recollec- 
tions, and  commenced  a  series  of  ludicrous  antics,  which 
brought  his  heavy  carcass  and  his  thick  boots  into  dan- 
gerous proximity  to  me. 

"Here,"  said  he,  "here  comes  Snipes  round  the 
course" — suiting  his  action  to  his  words,  by  imitating 
the  motion  of  a  man  on  horseback,  bending  his  knees, 
and  jerking  himself  up  and  down  as  if  performing  a  se- 
ries of  short  canters,  letting  his  body  rise  and  fall,  his 
shoulders  keeping  a  corresponding  motion,  while  he 
played  with  his  hands  as  though  he  were  holding  in  the 
horse's  head.  "  Here  he  comes — boys  a  shoutin' — gals 
a  screamin' — ladies  a  wavin'  o'  their  handkerchers — men 
a  bettin',  and  cussin'  and  swearin' — dust  a  flyin'  out  o' 
the  dry  turf.  My  eye!  such  a  rumpus.  On  comes 
Snipes. — Ti-tippit — ti- tippet — ti-tippit.  Hurraa,  hurraa, 
hurraa  !  Snipes  for  ever. — Snipes  has  von  the  plate — • 
hoora-a-a !" 

By  this  time  he  had  worked  up  his  enthusiasm  almost 
to  a  pitch  of  phrenzy,  actually  leaping  from  the  floor, 
and  by  catching  hold  of  my  hands  compelling  me  to 
keep  time  with  his  motions  to  avoid  being  crushed  by 
nis  weight,  as  every  now  and  then  he  came  down  with  a 
"  plump"  that  was  sufficient,  had  he  stamped  on  my  toes, 
to  have  lamed  me  for  life,  forhe  was  three  times  my  weight. 
The  little  room  in  which  we  stood  was  very  narrow, 


THE  our 'JAN'S  WRONGS.  181 

and  the  only  method  of  exit  was  through  a  doorway 
leading  to  the  outer  bar,  before  which  the  landlord  had 
planted  his  burly  person,  so  that  I  had  enough  to  do 
to  keep  clear  of  him.  I  called  to  him  to  forbear,  but 
it  was  useless,  for  my  feeble  voice  was  drowned  by  the 
shouts  from  his  stentorian  lungs ;  and  these  shouts  were 
raised  to  a  loftier  pitch  at  every  fresh  exclamation, 
until  at  last  he  fairly  screamed,  while  his  fat  cheeks  and 
sides  shook  like  jelly  bags  with  the  unwonted  exercise. 

Suddenly  he  changed  his  action,  saying  as  he  did 
so,  "  and  then  to  see  Sam,  ven  the  nobs  goes  home  in 
the  evening — coach  all  spruce  and  clean — brass  and 
steel  polished  like  gold  and  silver — four  bays,  black 
hoofs,  half-bloods,  jist  fresh  from  the  stable — skins  soft 
and  smooth  as  velvet — ears  pricked  up — full  o'  mettle 
— bunches  o'  ribands  fastened  to  their  heads — harness 
as  bright  and  shinin'  as  a  new  pin  !  Up  get  the  nobs — 
up  mounts  Sam  arter  'em,  and  takes  his  seat  upon  the 
box — '  All  right?'  says  they.  '  All  right,'  says  he,  '  let 
go  the  'osses  heads,  Jim.' — Crack  !  goes  his  vip.  Whe- 
e-e-e-w ! !  and  off  she  goes  ! ! !"  he  stopped  speaking  and 
capering,  apparently  because  his  breath  would  hold  out 
no  longer,  and  at  the  same  moment  his  right  arm, 
which  was  raised  to  represent  the  action  of  Sam  with 
the  "  vip,"  came  into  contact  with  my  shoulder,  caus- 
ing me  to  reel  heavily  against  a  stand  upon  which  were 
a  number  of  tumblers  arid  wine  glasses,  which  all  came 
with  a  thundering  crash  to  the  floor,  smashed  to  atoms. 
I  recovered  my  balance  and  began  rubbing  my  shoulder, 
while  the  landlord,  aroused  from  the  seat  on  which  he 
had  fallen  exhausted,  by  the  crash  of  the  broken  glass, . 
began  to  make  profuse  apologies. 

1  cast  my  eyes  around  in  hopes  to  gain  the  door  and 
get  clear  of  the  confusion,  when  who  should  I  see  but 
Mr.  Hughes,  to  whom  I  had  sent  a  note  before  leaving 
my  hotel,  stating  the  errand  upon  which  I  was  bound. 
He  had  left  home  immediately  to  meet  me  at  Greenwich 
at  the  urgent  request  of  Georgiana,  to  whom  he  had" 
read  the  contents  of  the  note,  and  had  just  arrived  at  the 


132  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

door  of  the  public  house  in  time  to  witness  the  strange, 
and  to  him,  unaccountable  antics  going  on  inside,  and 
the  hapless  denouement.  There  he  stood  like  a  statue, 
attired,  as  usual,  in  his  prim,  old-school  style  of  dress, 
black  coat,  knee  breeches  with  gold  buckles,  and  black 
silk  stockings,  and  looking  on  in  amazement,  seemingly 
without  the  power  of  utterance.  At  length  he  said : — 

"Good    heavens!    Mr. !  what  in   the  name  of 

wonder  have  you  been  doing  ?  Here  have  I  been  look- 
ing at  you  bobbing  to  and  fro  and  up  and  down,  in  com- 
pany with  the  landlord  of  the  house,  I  presume ;  both 
of  you  talking  at  your  highest  pitch  of  voice.  I  was 
transfixed  with  amazement,  sir,  until  the  crash  of  the 
broken  glass  restored  me  to  my  senses.  However,  I 
hope  you  have  not  cut  yourself,  sir." 

I  had  not  done  so,  and  with  some  little  difficulty, 
owing  to  the  interlarding  of  the  profuse  apologies  of  the 
landlord,  I  explained  the  cause  of  my  strange  situation, 
and  joined  with  Mr.  Hughes  in  the  laugh  at  my  own 
expense. 

"  Nothing  have  I  been  able  to  learn,  as  yet,"  said  1. 

However,  the  landlord,  whose  late  exertion  seemed  to 
have  restored  him  to  the  recollection  of  what  was  requir- 
ed of  him,  proceeded  to  state  that,  on  the  "Wednesday 
night  previous,  a  party  of  sailors,  accompanied  by  some 
persons  whose  manners  showed  that  they  did  not  follow 
the  sea,  had  called  at  his  house ;  they  had  a  young  man 
with  them  whose  appearance  tallied  with  the  description  I 
had  given  of  Adolphus  in  the  advertisement,  who  was 
either  very  drunk  or  else  (as  he  rather  thought  was  the 
real  state  of  the  case)  drugged  with  some  sleepy  com- 
pound. That  this  idea  had  led  him  to  take  particular 
notice  of  the  young  man,  and,  on  seeing  the  advertise- 
ment, he  recognized  the  description  immediately,  and 
sent  me  the  note.  The  party,  he  said,  had  proceeded, 
after  making  a  short  stay  at  his  house,  to  Woolwich,  in 
_an  open  boat  which  was  waiting  for  them,  and,  while  in 
the  house,  they  had  called  for  liquors  and  paid  liberally, 
as  though  they  had  plenty  of  money  to  spend.  When 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  133 

they  left,  they  had  to  carry  the  young  man  to  the  boat, 
for,  while  in  the  house,  he  had  drank  more  liquor  at  the 
request  of  one  of  the  gentlemen,  and  had  become  com- 
pletely stupified,  in  fact  insensible.  All  the  landlord 
knew  further  was,  that  the  sailors  had  spoken  of  some 
man-of-war  they  were  going  on  board  of,  and  he  saw,  in 
the  papers,  that  three  frigates  had  sailed  from  Woolwich 
for  the  Mediterranean  station  on  the  following  morning. 

This  was  all  the  information  we  could  glean,  so,  after 
presenting  the  landlord  with  a  sovereign,  we  left  the 
house.  We  ascertained  that  he  was  correct  as  regarded 
the  sailing  of  the  squadron  for  the  Mediterranean,  and 
we  suspected  that  young  Fitzherbert  had  by  some  means, 
still  unaccountable  to  us,  been  inveigled  away. 

All  that  was. left  for  us  to  do  was  to  write  immedi- 
ately to  the  admiral  on  the  station,  stating  the  facts, 
and  intimating  our  suspicions  that  a  young  gentleman 
had  been  decoyed  on  board  one  of  the  vessels,  and  beg- 
ging his  discharge.  This  Mr.  Hughes  did,  having  pre- 
viously obtained  a  permit  of  discharge  from  the  Ad- 
miralty office,  which  he  inclosed  in  his  letter  to  the  ad- 
miral. This  done,  we  had  to  wait  with  patience.  It 
might  be,  perhaps,  months  before  the  letter  would  reach 
its  destination,  for  we  knew  neither  where  the  admiral 
was  at  that  time,  nor  did  we  know  to  what  part  of  tho 
Mediterranean  the  ships  were  destined.  All  we  ascer- 
tained was  that  their  names  were  the  Redoubtable,  the 
Thunderer,  and  the  Vixen ;  but  then  Fitzherbert,  if 
indeed  he  were  on  board  either  of  them,  might  have 
been  transferred  to  some  other  of  the  vessels  on  the  sta- 
tion before  the  letter  reached  the  admiral. 

Thus  matters  rested  for  the  present,  and  all  we 
could  do  to  console  poor  Georgiana,  was  to  buoy  her 
up  with  the  belief  that  her  brother  had  been  decoyed 
on  board  one  of  the  men-of-war,  and  that  measures 
had  been  taken  to  procure  his  certain  discharge,  as 
soon  as  the  information  could  reach  the  commander 
of  the  Mediterranean  squadron. 


184  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OB, 


CHAPTEE  XL 

Alton  Oastle — An  Introduction  to  the  Heiress  of  Alton — A 
Noble  Maiden's  /Soliloquy. 

SOME  months  have  passed  away  and  we  have  heard 
nothing  of  Adolphus.  The  early  summer  has  burst 
into  full  bloom,  and  its  freshness  has  begun  to  fade. 
The  autumn  has  commenced,  the  "London  Season"  is 
over,  and  the  gay  coronetted  equipages  which  lately 
rolled  through  the  streets  of  the  "  West  End,"  with 
their  liveried  coachmen  and  powdered  lacqueys,  be- 
decked in  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  are  now  rarely 
to  be  met  with ;  the  fashionables  of  London  have  de- 
serted Westminster  for  their  country  mansions,  and  to 
be  in  "  town"  now,  is  to  risk  the  chance  of  being  struck 
off  the  roll  of  fashion.  It  is  the  shooting  season  and  the 
country  is  alive  with  the  aristocracy,  who  have  now 
doffed  the  fashionable  garb  in  which  they  were  wont 
to  parade  Regent-street,  and  Piccadilly,  or  to  lounge 
in  the  parks,  and  have  donned  the  more  sober,  but  in- 
finitely more  comfortable  sportsman's  attire.  Young 
men  and  old  men — men  of  all  ages — may  now  be  met 
in  the  fields  and  woods,  and  game  preserves,  dressed  in 
shooting  jackets  with  manifold  pockets,  and  breeches 
and  brown  leathern  gaiters  buttoned  to  the  knee,  gun 
in  hand,  and  perhaps  with  several  brace  of  game  peep- 
ing from  the  aforesaid  pockets.  It  is  the  gala  time  of 
setters  and  other  sporting  dogs,  which  race  to  and  fro 
and  thrust  themselves  obtrusively  into  all  sorts  of  places, 
as  if  they  were  perfectly  conscious  of  their  importance 
during  the  shooting  season.  From  break  of  day  until 
sunset,  the  woods  echo  and  re-echo  with  the  report  of 
Bowling  pieces,  each  sharp  report  being  the  death-knell 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  185 

of  some  hapless  pheasant,  or  scattering  death  and  de- 
struction and  wofully  thinning  some  unfortunate  covey 
of  partridges;  and  the  woods  and  groves,  although 
they  no  longer  rejoice  in  the  brilliant  green  foliage  of 
summer,  are  still  not  less  beautiful ;  the  mellow,  many- 
colored  tints  of  their  foliage,  promiscuously  ming- 
led, render  their  appearance  even  more  picturesque ; 
for,  as  yet  the  leaves  have  not  begun  to  fall,  and  the 
air  though  fresh  and  bracing  at  morn  and  eve,  is  still 
balmy  and  odorous  with  the  perfume  of  autumn  flowers. 
It  is  not  yet  winter;  though  occasionally,  just  after 
nightfall,  the  melancholy,  mournful  "  sough''  borne  on 
the  breeze,  impresses  those  who  chance  to  be  abroad 
with  the  idea  that  even  now  nature  is  sighing  over  the 
decay  which  awaits  her  handiworks  ere  many  more  weeks 
have  passed  by.  The  sunsets  at  this  season  of  the  year 
possess  features  of  extraordinary  beauty.  Scarcely  do 
the  woods  and  copses,  when  the  bright  rays  of  the  sun 
are  resting  upon  the  foliage  during  the  morning  or  noon 
of  day,  produce  a  more  brilliant  display  of  varied  tints 
than  do  the  clouds  of  the  western  sky,  ere  the  bright 
luminary  has  yet  descended  beneath  the  horizon,  and 
at  these  times  all  nature  assumes  an  aspect  of  delicious 
repose. 

It  is  the  close  of  one  of  these  autumnal  days ;  groups 
of  sportsmen  are  returning  home,  after  a  day  spent  in 
healthful  but  fatiguing  exercise,  to  the  numerous  man- 
sions of  the  noblemen  and  gentry  of  the  country  which 
can  be  discerned  peeping  out  from  amidst  the  forest  of  rich 
well  trained  shrubbery  amidst  which,  at  a  distance,  they 
seem  to  be  imbedded.  Situated  upon  an  eminence  is 
one  of  prouder  pretensions  than  the  rest ;  the  stranger 
points  to  it  and  asks  who  owns  that  massive  pile  of  cas- 
tellated building  ?  He  is  told  that  it  "  is  Alton  Castle, 
the  baronial  residence  of  the  Earl  of  Shropshire."  A 
flag  waves  over  the  loftiest  turret,  emblazoned  with  the 
shield  and  crest  of  the  noble  owner  of  the  castle,  a  signal 
that  he  and  his  family  are  now  residing  there.  Let  us 
approach  nearer  ;  Alton  Castle  is  worthy  of  a  closer  in- 


136  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

spection.  It  is  one  of  the  very  few  baronial  residences 
of  England  in  which  the  pomp  and  ceremony  of  feudal 
times  is  still  maintained  on  great  occasions.  It  is  but 
a  fancy  on  the  part  of  the  earl ;  for  the  chivalry  of 
those  days  has  forever  departed,  and  with  it  has  fled 
the  former  power  of  the  barons  of  England.  We  see 
that  around  the  castle  is  a  rampart  from  which  can  be 
obtained  a  glorious  view  of  the  surrounding  country. 
This  rampart  is  encircled  by  a  moat,  crossed  by  a  draw- 
bridge. The  bridge  is  down  now  and  the  moat  is  dry, 
its  bottom  filled  with  earth  and  planted  with  flowers ; 
but  two  or  three  centuries  ago — for  it  is  an  ancient  and 
venerable  pile — and  even  in  later  days,  that  wide  moat 
was  filled  with  water,  and  when  the  drawbridge  was 
raised,  was  impassable ;  while  from  the  rampart,  upon 
which  cannon  can  still  be  seen,  deadly  destruction  could 
be  dealt  by  the  knights  and  wardens,  and  seneschals 
within,  upon  the  foe  who  should  dare  to  attempt  an  en- 
trance into  that  stately  fortress.  In  the  rear,  a  chapel 
can  be  seen  surrounded  with  a  golden  cross,  for  the  Earl 
of  Shropshire  is  one  of  the  few  among  England's  proud- 
est nobles  who  maintain  the  Catholic  faith,  and  who  still 
retain  a  confessor  within  the  walls  of  their  castles.  I 
have  said  the  ceremonies  of  feudal  times  are  still  main- 
tained ;  this  is  when  the  earl  has  visitors,  or  when  he 
entertains  a  large  party  at  his  castle ;  then,  on  their 
approach,  the  drawbridge  is  raised:  a  herald  from 
without  summons,  by  sounding  the  horn  which  hangs 
suspended  from  the  outer  gate,  the  warden  of  the  castle 
who  announces  the  arrival  of  distinguished  guasts  to 
claim  his  lord's  hospitality.  The  warden  appears  at 
the  summons,  (both  he  and  the  herald  being  dressed  in 
complete  armor,)  and  after  hearing  the  message,  he  in- 
forms his  lord,  who  forthwith  comes  to  meet  his  guests  ; 
the  drawbridge  is  lowered  at  his  order,  and  the  cavalcade 
passes  over,  and  is  welcomed  to  the  castle.  It  is  an 
idle  parade,  but  it  is  worth  seeing  once,  if  only  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  habits  and  manners  of  olden  times. 
Around  the  castle  for  miles,  extend  the  parks  and 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  137 

woods,  and  preserves  attached  to  it,  for  Alton  Castle  is 
one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  the  magnificence  of  the 
country  seats  of  the  wealthy  English  nobles. 

Let  us  peep  inside  and  see  what  is  there  going  for- 
ward. Near  a  window,  in  a  spacious  apartment,  su- 
perbly furnished,  the  walls  covered  with  fresco  paintings, 
and  with  mirrors,  but  which  looks  sombre  and  gloomy 
from  the  massive,  antique  appearance  of  the  furniture, 
and  the  glossy  darkness  of  the  wood- work,  which  has  be- 
come almost  black  with  age,  is  seated  a  lady,  gazing  in- 
tently towards  the  golden  sunset,  for  the  window  looks 
to  the  westward.  In  the  dim  light,  she  yet  might  pass 
for  a  young  woman,  although  in  reality  she  has  attained 
the  full  meridian  of  middle  age,  for  her  form  is  yet  slen- 
der and  elegant,  her  features  eminently  handsome,  her 
complexion  fair,  and  her  brow  without  a  wrinkle. 

When  she  smiles,  she  might,  perhaps,  still  look  young, 
even  in  the  blaze  of  day,  or  the  glare  of  gas-light ;  but 
there  is  a  melancholy,  seemingly  imprinted  upon  her 
features,  which  is  painful  to  the  observer  to  witness,  for 
it  tells  plainly  that  heartfelt  anxiety  must  have  been  at 
work  for  years — long  weary  years  ere  the  sad  expres- 
sion could  have  become  so  indelibly  engraved  there. 
The  lady  is  plainly  attired,  for  even  she  finds  relief  in 
casting  aside  for  a  season,  the  glitter  and  gewgaw  of 
fashion  she  has  been  compelled  to  endure  in  London. 

She  sits  in  deep  thought  until  the  gray  shades  of  even- 
ing have  covered  the  landscape,  and  now  she  rises  from 
her  seat,  and  ringing  a  bell,  desires  a  footman  who  en» 
ters,  to  draw  the  curtains,  and  light  the  chandelier.  In 
a  few  moments  more,  the  lately  dark  room  is  brilliantly 
lighted  up  by  the  flame  from  a  host  of  wax  candles. 

'^[s  the  earl  within,  John  ?"  enquires  the  lady. 

^Ycs,  my  lady,  he  is  in  his  study  where  he  retired 
after  dinner,  and  desired  me  not  to  disturb  him  until  ten 
o'clock." 

"  That  will  do,  John.  You  can  retire,  and  tell  An- 
nette, I  wish  to  be  alone  to-night.  If  I  want  her,  I  will 
summon  her  myself."  The  footman  withdrew.  "  And 


138  THE  LAWTEE'S  STORY;   OR, 

so,  one  more  London  season  is  over ;  when  oh,  when, 
will  this  dreary  round  of  existence  have  an  end  ?"  soli- 
loquized the  lady  when  she  was  again  left  alone  in  the 
apartment.  "  People  say  I  am  heartless — insensible  to 
the  finer  feelings  of  nature — a  mere  creature  of  fashion, 
whose  life  has  been  devoted  to  her  idolatrous  worship. 
True,  they  know  not  that  /  have  heard  this.  Oh,  no. 
No  one  would  dare  tell  the  truth  to  the  wealthy  heiress 
of  Alton.  I  am  flattered  to  my  face,  I  have  been  so 
from  a  child,  and  while  my  heart  has  ever  yearned  for 
a  friend,  I  have  found  none :  but,  have  I  not  heard  this 
in  secret  whispers,  when  no  one  knew  I  was  by  ?  could 
years  have  passed  and  I  not  have  seen  that  sentiment 
regarding  me,  impressed  in  the  countenance  of  every 
one  with  whom  I  have  come  in  contact,  and  most  of  all 
on  the  features  of  those  who  sought  to  hide  it  beneath 
their  noisome  flattery.  Perhaps  many  people  envy  me ; 
they  know  that  I  am  possessed  of  wealth  ;  they  see  me 
still  flattered  and  admired,  although  my  youth  has  long 
since  fled,  if,  indeed,  I  ever  knew  what  youth  was.  The 
peasant  girl  whom  I  lately  watched  from  the  window 
of  this  room,  is  happier  than  I,  for  she  has  some  one 
to  love  her — some  one  whom  she  can  love.  Would  to 
God,  I  could  change  places  with  her,  only  I  should  be 
unwilling  that  any  human  heart  should  be  compelled 
to  endure  my  splendid  misery.  'I  have  never  loved 
— my  bosom  is  too  cold  to  entertain  the  passion,'  say 
they.  Little  do  those  who  speak  thus,  know  how  fondly 
I  once  loved.  So  fondly — so  deeply,  that  as  I  then 
loved,  I  never  can  love  again.  Herbert,  I  am  told,  died 
in  foreign  lands,  and  in  poverty.  If  it  be  so,  I  will 
not — dare  not  carry  my  resentment  into  the  sanctity  of 
the  grave ;  but  how,  once,  I  loved,  and  how  since  tj^n, 
have  I  hated  him !  and  yet,  I  scarce  can  call  it  hate,  for 
I  have  worn,  and  still  shall  wear,  his  miniature  in  my 
bosom.  When  I  heard  that  he  was  married — and  mar- 
ried to  one  far  inferior  to  me  in  wealth,  and  even  in  per- 
sonal attractions ;  but,  as  people  whispered,  (and  such 
whispers  are  always  heard  by  those  to  whom  they  refer), 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  139 

my  superior  in  amiability  of  disposition,  and  those 
thousand  attractions  which  render  a  husband  happy,  I 
laughed  in  derision,  while  my  heart  wept  tears  of  bitter 
sorrow ;  for  had  I  married  Herbert,  I  should  have  de- 
voted my  life  to  render  him  happy. 

"  1  would  have  cast  the  miniature  from  me  when  the 
news  fell  like  a  thunderbolt  upon  my  ear,  for  it  was  then 
that  my  love  was  turned  to  hate ;  but  even  then,  I  could 
not  do  that.  The  miniature  was  a  gage  (V  amour, 
given  me  in  exchange  for  mine,  when  we  were  both 
children  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  on  the  occasion  of 
Herbert's  having  first  been  brought,  by  my  father,  on  a 
visit  to  Alton  Castle,  and  before  I  had  foolishly  sought 
to  play  the  coquette  with  him,  or  his  love  for  me  had  be- 
.  gun  to  fade  away.  When  I  took  the  miniature  in  my 
hand,  with  the  intention  of  dashing  it  to  the  ground,  the 
laughing  eyes  of  the  boy  seemed  to  meet  mine,  and  to 
gaze  at  me,  as  if  instinct  with  life.  I  could  not  make  the 
sacrifice,  and  I  excused  my  weakness  by  the  sophistical 
argument,  that  the  miniature  was  not  that  of  Herbert — 
the  lover  who  had  spurned  me:  but  of  Herbert — the 
happy,  laughing  boy-lover  of  my  own  girlhood.  And 
yet  it  was  rny  own  fault  that  Herbert  forsook  me.  I 
had  been  so  schooled  to  treat  every  one  with  caprice, 
that  when  we  were  a  year  or  two  older,  and  Herbert 
began  to  talk  more  earnestly  of  the  aifection  he  bore 
me,  I  listened  and  laughed  in  his  face,  and  one  day  told 
him  never  to  mention  the  subject  again.  That  evening 
I  shunned  him,  though  I  saw  he  sought  again  to  speak 
to  me,  and,  in  his  hearing,  I  purposely  made  some  caus- 
tic remark,  respecting  him  to  a  frivolous  fop  who  stood 
near  me.  I  cast  a  furtive  glance  at  his  features  as  I 
spoke,  and  saw  his  lips  quiver  and  his  cheek  turn  pale. 
t  rejoiced  at  the  power  I  had  over  him,  little  thinking 
that,  in  the  moment  of  my  fancied  triumph,  he  was 
wrenching  my  image  from  his  heart ;  little  dreaming 
then,  that  he  was  as  proud  as  I.  I  was  told  that  he  had 
said  that  an  icicle  could  as  soon  be  kindled  into  a  flame, 
as  love  could  be  kindled  in  the  heart  of  lady  Mary 


140  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

Alton :  that  lie  often  used  a  similar  expression,  and  I 
smiled  to  think  how  soon  by  a  few  kind  words  and  ten- 
der glances  I  could  bring  the  utterer  of  such  heresy  again 
a  suppliant  at  my  feet.  I  had  my  father's  sanction  for 
my  marriage.  Everything  seemed  to  favor  me ;  but, 
alas !  I  found  that  I  had  gone  too  far ;  had  touched  the 
heart's  chords  with  too  rude  a  hand,  and  now,  I,  in  turn, 
was  treated  with  a  cold  civility,  worse  to  bear  than 
scorn. 

"  From  that  hour  I  have  never  loved  as  I  did  before  ; 
although  my  heart  has  ever  felt  felt  the  void  that  needed 
filling.  I  have  had  suitors  in  abundance,  who  sought 
me  for  my  wealth  and  station.  I  knew  none  sought  me 
for  my  love;  for  the  tale  had  gone  abroad  that  I  was  a 
heartless  coquette,  and  the  world  was  too  ready  to  be- 
lieve it  true ;  and  /  too  proud  to  undeceive  it.  My 
early  faulty  education  in  Italy  had  made  me  assume  that 
character;  the  falsehood  of  the  world  and  my  own  pride 
sustained  me  in  it,  while  my  heart  was  ever  yearning  to 
cast  it  aside.  And  so  years  have  passed  away ;  my  father 
was  too  engrossed  in  affairs  of  state  to  care  whether  or 
not  I  married,  or  how  I  acted  ;  so  that  my  conduct  was 
marked  by  the  dignity  that  became  his  daughter.  I  have 
well  sustained  that  dignity,  truly ! — sustained  it  at  the 
cost  of  my  own  peace  of  mind,  forever.  Unhappily  for 
me,  my  mother  I  never  knew,  or  I  might  have  been  dif- 
ferently educated  and  now,  perhaps,  a  happy  wife  and 
mother,  instead  of  a  wretched,  withered  old  maid.  '  Old 
Maid !'  why  should  I  shrink  from  that  term  ?  Let  me 
see  how  bravely  I  bear  my  years.  Surely,  it  is  time  now 
that  I  should  know  myself  aright.  I  have  no  blazing 
jewels  upon  me  now  to  give  a  false  dazzle  to  my  appear- 
ance. Let  me  for  once  be  an  impartial  judge,  and  jury 
too,  convened  to  pass  sentence  upon  my  own  fading 
beauty ;"  and,  as  she  spoke,  she  took  a  candlestick  in  her 
hand  and  stepped  close  to  a  full  length  mirror,  where, 
for  the  space  of  some  minutes  she  surveyed  herself  at- 
tentively: "It  is  well,"  she  said,  "Nature  has  been 
bountiful  to  me.  There  is  not  not  yet  a  silver  thread 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  141 

amongst  this  raven  hair,  and  scarcely  a  wrinkle  on  my 
cheek  or  forehead.  I  might  yet'  deceive  the  world ;  but, 
can  I  deceive  myself?  and  how  long  will  this  still  youth 
ful  aspect  remain  ?  The  failings  of  age  will  only  be 
more  manifest  when  at  last  they  come,  and  they  must 
come  in  a  few  years  more  at  furthest. 

"  Why,  then,  should  I  longer  undergo  this  torture  ? 
Why  not  fulfil  the  desire  of  my  heart  for  some  years 
past,  and  by  retiring  to  the  convent  in  Italy  over  which 
my  father's  sister  presides,  forever  bid  farewell  to  the 
stale  vanities  of  the  world  ?  Why  not  ?  Because  my 
father  now  bids  me  prepare  to  marry  Henry  Fitzherbert, 
to  carry  out  a  purpose,  the  object  of  which  I  have  par- 
tially divined.  To  marry  a  roue,  and  a  fool,  to  suit  his 
purposes  and  my  father's,  without  being  consulted  in  the 
matter — a  mere  piece  of  merchandize  which,  probably, 
the  purchaser  would  willingly  refuse;  but  which  the 
vender  insists  upon  his  accepting  in  order  to  seal  the 
bargain. 

"And  has  it  come  to  this  at  last?  The  prouc], 
haughty,  Lady  Mary  Alton,  the  belle  amongst  the  ultra 
aristocratic  belles  of  England,  whose  smile  was  once  the 
envy  of  scores  of  rival  cavaliers — reduced  beneath  the 
estimated  value  of  the  cattle  on  her  father's  farm.  Be  it 
so,  then  ;  I  am  sick  of  the  world,  weary  of  life,  and  care- 
less of  the  future.  I  have  heard  too,  though  secretly, 
that  wrong  has  been  effected  ;  that  Herbert  should  not 
have  died  poor  and  friendless  on  foreign  soil,  and  that  he 
has  left  children  who  are  heirs  to  property  that  is  with- 
held from  them.  Am  I  to  be  made  a  party  to  this 
fraud?  God  knows  my  brain  is  racked  till  I  have 
cause  to  dread  that  reason  may  desert  me.  I  will  try  a 
little  music;  it  may  temporarily  banish  these  sombre 
thoughts." 

She  approached  the  piano  forte  and  played  a  few 
notes,  but  her  fingers  soon  stayed  their  activity,  and  for 
some  time  she  sat  at  the  piano  apparently  in  a  deep  re- 
verie. She  then  rose  and  touched  the  bell. 

The  footman  entered,  and  asked : 


142  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

"  Did  you  ring,  my  lady  ?" 

"  Yes,  John ;  has  Father  Anselmo  yet  retired  to  rest  ? 
Have  the  goodness  to  inquire,  and  desire  Annette  to  at- 
tend me." 

The  servant  returned  and  said  that  Father  Anselmo 
was  reading  in  his  own  study. 

"Very  well,  John;  that  will  do.  Oh,  here  is  An- 
nette. Annette,"  she  continued,  speaking  in  Italian,  "I 
have  always  reposed  full  confidence  in  you.  The  world, 
besides,  may  have  misunderstood  my  feelings ;  but  I 
believe  you  know  me  too  well  to  do  so,  willingly,  at 
least.  I  have  been  strangely  low-spirited  to-night,  and 
I  am  desirous  of  seeing  Father  Anselmo  immediately. 
Step  up  to  his  room  and  ask  him  if  he  will  oblige  me 
by  meeting  me  for  a  few  moments  at  the  altar  in  the 
chapel." 

The  lady's  maid  went  with  the  message  to  the  chap- 
lain's room,  and  Lady  Mary  appeared  anxiously  to 
await  her  return. 

t  "I  must  make  a  full  confession  to-night,"  she  mur- 
mured. "  Father  Anselmo,  I  hope,  will  not  refuse  my 
somewhat  untimely  request." 

Annette  returned  and  said  Father  Anselmo  had 
already  gone  to  the  chapel,  and  awaited  her  lad y. 

"  Then,  Annette,  stay  you  here.  It  is  nearly  ten 
o'clock,  and  my  father,  before  he  retires  for  the  night, 
will  be  sure  to  visit  me.  I  shall  not  be  many  minutes 
absent;  but,  should  he  come  in  before  I  return,  make 
some  excuse  for  me,  and  say  I  will  be  back  immediately." 

So  saying,  she  left  the  room,  and  the  echo  of  her 
light  footsteps  was  heard  by  the  rather  astonished  An- 
nette, treading  the  vaulted  galleries  which  led  to  the 
chapel.  The  maid  listened  until  she  heard  the  chapel 
door  gently  close,  and  then  took  her  seat  near  a  table 
and  commenced  reading  an  Italian  book. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  earl  entered. 

"  Where  is  your  lady,  Annette  ?"  said  he. 

Annette  was  too  well  trained  to  exhibit  the  least  con- 
fusion, although  she  was  very  strangely  concerned  at 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  143 

the  mysterious  behavior  of  her  lady.  She  answered, 
"Lady  Mary  has  but  a  few  minutes  ago  quitted  the 
room,  my  lord,  and  she  desired  me  to  tell  your  lordship, 
should  you  ask  for  her,  that  she  would  return  in  a  few 
minutes,"  and  she  rose  up  from  her  seat  as  the  earl  took 
a  chair. 

"Sit  still,  Annette,  sit  still,"  said  the  earl.  "You 
had  better  wait  until  Lady  Mary  returns  ;  she  may  re- 
quire your  services.  I  will  also  wait  for  her,  for  I  wish 
particularly  to  speak  to  her  to-night,  before  I  retire  to 
rest." 

The  earl  in  his  turn  took  up  a  book  and  sat  listlessly 
turning  over  the  leaves,  while  he  waited  his  daughter  > 
return. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Lady  Mary  in  the  chapel  of  the  Castle — An  interview  with 
the  confessor,  Father  Anselmo — Good  advice  in  a  matter 
of  extreme  difficulty — A  Parent's  displeasure. 

WE  will  follow  Lady  Mary  Alton  as  she  quitted  her 
apartment  to  meet  Father  Anselmo  in  the  chapel  of  the 
castle.  She  passed  slowly  along  a  narrow  gallery,  from 
the  vaulted  roof  of  which  depended  several  lighted 
chandeliers,  diffusing  a  mellow  light  over  the  place,  it  is 
true ;  but  rather  adding  to  than  relieving  the  solemity 
of  its  appearance.  On  either  side  of  this  gallery  hung 
the  portraits  of  the  ancestors  of  the  Earl  of  Shropshire, 
from  the  date  of  the  first  Henry,  when  the  family  had 
emigrated  from  France  into  England.  Grim,  mail-clad 
warriors  were  they  in  those  early  days.  Knights,  whose 
fortune  was  their  swords ;  whose  boast,  their  valiant 
deeds  of  arms ;  whose  pride,  that  for  centuries,  even  £ien, 
their  swords  had  carved  the  road  to  honor  and  renown 
through  many  a  bloody  and  hard  fought  field,  in  which 
the  "falcon,"  its  beak  dripping  blood,  as  though  in  the 


144  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

act  of  tearing  its  prey,  (the  crest  of  the  Knights  of  de 
Altoun,  subsequently  Anglesized  into  Alton,)  emblazoned 
upon  the  banners  borne  by  the  family  retainers,  had 
ever  been  prominent  in  the  battle-field,  and  foremost 
where  the  fight  most  furiously  raged.  Then  ranged  in 
order  of  antiquity,  came  the  stern,  uncompromising 
statesmen  of  the  reign  of  the  "Eighth  Harry"  and  of 
Elizabeth — those  statesmen  who  did  so  much  to  ren 
der  the  name  of  their  country  famous,  and  who  were 
the  real  creators  of  the  glory  of  the  reign  of  the  "Virgin 
Queen."  Among  these  was  the  portrait  of  the  first  Lord 
Alton,  stern  and  uncompromising  in  aspect ;  one  whom, 
to  judge  from  his  portrait,  few  would  have  chosen  to 
tamper  with.  After  these  followed  in  succession  the 
haughty,  princely  cavaliers  of  the  reign  of  James  and  of 
Charles  the  First ;  the  prim,  peruked  courtiers  of  the 
time  of  Charles  the  Second,  gradually  sobering  down 
through  the  periods  of  James  the  Second,  William  and 
Mary,  Ann  and  the  Georges,  until  the  eye  rested  on  the 
portrait  of  the  present  proud  earl,  and  still  through  the 
whole  range  of  portraits,  embracing  a  period  of  seven 
centuries  or  twenty-one  generations,  might  be  traced  a 
family  likeness,  not  from  similarity  of  feature  or  of  form, 
but  from  the  stern,  haughty  expression  that  shone  in  the 
countenance  of  the  mailed  warrior  of  the  twelfth  century, 
and  was  reflected  in  the  features  of  the  living  representa- 
tive of  the  race. 

And  along  this  gloomy  gallery,  between  the  portraits 
of  her  ancestors,  softly  trode  the  last  daughter  of  the 
race — she  in  whose  person  it  was  probably  doomed  to 
become  lineally  extinct ;  for  she  was  no  youthful  maiden 
who  was  likely  to  marry  one  who,  for  the  sake  of  the 
honor,  would  take  her  name,  and  who  would  bear  future 
heirs  to  inherit  the  title  and  the  fortune  of  Alton ;  but 
one  who,  though  still  beautiful,  was  already  past  the  me- 
ridian of  life,  and  who,  as  she  gazed  almost  fearfully  at 
the  grim  portraits  as  she  passed  along,  could  not  but  feel 
that  after  her  death  the  family  title,  though  it  might  not 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  145 

become  de  facto  extinct,  would  in  all  probability  pass  into 
the  possession  of  a  distant  branch  of  the  family. 

"I  can  conceive,"  she  thought,  "  how  it  is  that  my 
father  has  cared  so  little  for  me.  He  wanted  a  male  heir 
to  his  title  and  fortune.  Oh,  if  I  had  but  had  a  brother ! 
my  life  might  have  been  a  happier  one." 

She  reached  the  door  of  the  chapel  and  opened  it  unob- 
served, for  the  chaplain  was  kneeling  in  silent  prayer  or  in 
devout  contemplation  before  the  altar  at  the  further  end. 
The  chapel,  small  as  it  was,  was  but  dimly  lighted  by  the 
pair  of  wax  candles  which  burned,  night  and  day  upon 
the  altar,  and  the  scene  was  calculated  to  impress  the 
mind  with  a  sombre  melancholy  as  the  eye  gazed  upon 
the  dark,  antique  and  solemn  adornments  of  the  chapel, 
the  painted  glass  windows;  and  the  massive  paintings, 
depicting  religious  subjects  and  the  sufferings  of  martyrs 
to  the  holy  faith  in  the  days  of  the  persecution  of  the 
early  Christians,  which  covered  the  Walls.  The  aspect 
of  the. .chapel  was  eminently  calculated  to  impress  the 
imagination  with  religious  feelings;  but  it  was  more 
likely  to  be  that  of  a  gloomy  and  despairing,  than  of  a 
cheerful  and  hopeful  character. 

Softly  did  Lady  Mary  step  to  the  spot  where  knelt  the 
reverend  father.  He  appeared  not  to  have  heard  her 
footsteps,  and  for  some  minutes  she  stood  silently  beside 
him,  unwilling  to  disturb  his  meditations. 

It  was  a  picture  for  a  painter — the  dimly  lighted, 
gloomy  chapel,  the  elaborately  ornamented  marble  altar 
on  which  the  rays  of  the  candles  fell,  and  by  the  bright 
contrast  increased  the  solemn,  cheerless  aspect  of  the 
place — the  priest,  a  tall  man  of  slender,  even  attenuated 
frame,  whose  features  betrayed  that,  though  living  in  the 
abode  of  wealth  and  luxury,  his  life  had  been  one  of 
severe  mortification  of  the  flesh — the  lady,  youthful  seem- 
ing in  that  light,  and,  in  comparison  with  the  aged  father, 
her  plain  white  evening  dress  and  luxuriant,  dark  hair, 
contrasting  vividly  with  the  dark  sacerdotal  robes  which 
the  chaplain  constantly  wore,  and  with  the  fringe  of 
white  hair  which  encircled  his  head,  the  crown  of  which 

7 


146  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

was  shaven — all  these  contrasts  presented  a  striking 
tableau.  She  might  have  appeared  to  a  painter's  eye  as 
a  maiden  wearied  of  the  vanities  of  the  world,  who  had 
come  at  last  to  seek  for  comfort  in  religion,  or  his  ima- 
gination might  have  chosen  another  theme  for  the  pic- 
ture ;  she  might  have  been  represented  as  an  angel  of 
mercy  sent  by  heaven  to  respond  to  the  prayers  of  a  re- 
ligious devotee. 

At  length  Father  Anselmo  rose  from  his  kneeling 
posture,  and  he  saw  Lady  Mary  standing  beside  him. 

"  Pardon  me,  father,"  she  said  ;  "  I  should  not  have 
intruded  had  I  thought  you  were  engaged.  I  sent  An- 
nette to  ask  if  you  were  disengaged,  and  she  said  you 
would  await  me  here." 

"It  is  well,  my  daughter.  I  received  the  message 
from  Annette  as  I  was  about  to  come  hither  to  pay 
my  evening  devotions,  and  said  I  would  meet  you  here ; 
but  not  finding  you,  I  had  forgotten  the  appointment, 
and  commenced  my  prayers." 

"  Let  me  not  interrupt  you,  father;  another  time  will, 
perhaps,  suit  as  well." 

"  My  daughter,  when  the  mind  is  ill  at  ease,  there  is 
no  time  like  the  present  to  seek  for  comfort  where  it 
can  alone  be  found — in  the  consolations  of  religion. 
Heed  not  me.  It  is  my  duty,  at  all  seasons  and  at 
all  hours,  to  minister  to  the  distressed  in  mind — to 
give  my  humble  advice  to  all  who  seek  it,  and  more 
especially  to  the  members  of  your  noble  and  honored 
father's  family.  In  so  doing,  I  am  best  serving  Him 
to  whose  service  my  life  is  devoted.  1  heed  not  your 
interruption,  and  the  late  hour  to  me  is  little  object. 
Here  in  this  chapel  I  frequently  keep  the  midnight  vigil 
— aye,  until  cock-crow  betrays  the  dawn  of  day,  while 
all  others  in  the  castle  are  wrapped  in  slumber.  Say 
then,  daughter  of  my  noble  earthly  patron,  what  calls 
you  here  in  this  late  watch  of  the  night  to  seek  the  com- 
pany of  Father  Anselmo  ?  I  fear  that  the  presence  of 
some  unwonted  difficulty  must  weigh  heavily  upon  your 
mind.  Speak  freely  and  fearlessly.  In  me  you  have  a 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  147 

spiritual  father,  whose  heart  yearns  to  you  as  kindly  as 
can  that  of  your  earthly  parent." 

"  It  is  not  much,  father,  that  I  have  to  tell,  and  for- 
give me  for  saying,  that  I  know  not  whether  you  can 
relieve  my  mind  from  its  present  trouble ;  nay,  I  know 
not  -whether  I  ought  to  divulge  the  secret  I  am  about  to 
whisper  into  your  ear.  You  will  tell  rne  it  is  the  duty 
of  a  child  to  obey  the  behests  of  her  parent  in  all  earthly 
matters,  and  think  my  confession  unwise,  uncalled  for, 
perhaps  unmaidenly." 

"  Nay,  speak  out,  my  daughter,  and  relieve  your 
mind  of  its  trouble;  far  be  it  from  a  poor  erring  mortal 
like  me  to  adjudge  blame  where  the  intention  is  good. 
Tell  me  your  sorrows,  and  rest  assured  that  I  will  advise 
that  which  in  my  own  poor  judgment  I  think  is  the  best 
course  for  you  to  pursue  to  gain  relief." 

"  Father  Anselmo,"  said  Lady  Mary,  in  a  low  voice, 
the  tone  of  which  told  as  much  of  child-like  confidence 
and  daughterly  affection  as  it  did  of  reverence,  "  you 
alone  of  all  earthly  beings  know  of  the  wretchedness 
which  has  filled  my  heart,  almost  as  long  as  I  can  re- 
collect. In  the  sacredness  and  secrecy  of  the  confes- 
sional, I  have  disclosed  to  you  that  which  has  been  hid- 
den from  all  the  world  besides — of  which  my  father  is 
ignorant.  You"  she  continued,  looking  earnestly  and 
interrogatively  in  the  face  of  the  priest — "you  have  not 
thought  me  the  cold,  heartless  creature,  the  world  has 
given  me  the  credit  of  being." 

"No,  my  daughter,  I  have  not;  I  have  known  your 
sorrows,  and  even  as  a  father  have  I  wept  over  them. 
I  have  besought  you  to  seek  grace  to  curb  that  pride  of 
character  which  you  have  inherited  from  your  ancestors, 
and  which  was  the  first  cause  of  all  your  troubles ;  but 
\fith  all  this  I  have  known  and  felt  your  kindness  of 
heart.  My  daughter,  that  pride  is  your  besetting  sin ; 
you  should  seek  to  purge  it  from  you  ;  and  yet  1  know 
how  difficult  it  is,  and  can  make  allowances  for  it ;  in  all 
else  you  have  achieved  all  that  I  have  sought  in  my 
prayers  for  your  soul's  welfare." 


148  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

"Then,  father,"  continued  Lady  Mary,  in  a  firmer 
voice,  "  I  need  not  tell  you  now,  that  for  some  years 
past,  even  when  compelled  against  my  will  to  figure 
amidst  the  fashionable  frivolities  of  London  life,  it  has 
been  my  earnest  desire  to  pass  the  remainder  of  my 
days  in  the  convent  over  which  my  aunt  is  abbess, 
and  where  many  years  ago,  when  a  mere  child,  I  whis- 
pered my  earliest  innocent  confessions  in  your  ears.  Of 
late,  the  desire  has  grown  upon  me  more  and  more ;  for, 
as  I  grow  in  years,  I  perceive  more  clearly  the  vanity 
of  earthly  pleasures — perhaps,  had  matters  turned  out 
otherwise — you  know,  father,  to  what  I  now  allude — I 
should  have  entertained  other  ideas ;  but,  let  me  put 
aside  these  painful  reminiscences.  A  short  time  since  I 
spoke  to  my  father,  when  I  thought  him  in  a  kinder 
mood  than  usual,  respecting  those  desires  with  which 
you  have  been  long  acquainted.  He  listened  in  sur- 
prise and  was  for  some  moments  silent.  At  length  he 
spoke,  and  his  words  were  expressed  in  more  gentle 
tones  than  I  have  been  accustomed  to  hear  from  him ; 
for  although  seldom  harsh,  his  manner  towards  me 
has  more  resembled  that  which  he  might  assume  to  a 
stranger,  than  to  his  only  child — distant — coldly  respect- 
ful. Father  Anselmo,  1  could  better  have  brooked  oc- 
casional bursts  of  anger  from  a  father's  lips,  if  some- 
times I  had  experienced  the  paternal  affection  my  heart 
has  so  ardently  panted  for.  'Mary,' he  said,  'you  pain 
me  greatly  by  this  avowal.  I  have  other  views  for 
you.  1  have  long  wished  that  the  estates  of  Alton — 
and  those,  at  one  time,  supposed  to  belong  to  my  un- 
grateful ward,  Herbert  Fitzherbert — should  be  united. 
The  property  supposed  to  have  been  his,  rightly  belongs 
to  Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert — his  half-brother.  Such  will 
shortly  be  legally  proved  to  be  the  case.  Lord  Henry 
Fitzherbert  has  sought  your  hand,  and  I  have  promised 
to  use  my  influence  to  further  his  views.  The  dearest 
object  of  my  heart  will  then  be  realized ;  and  you,  will 
not  you  accede  to  the  only  earnest  request  your  father 
has  ever  made  to  you?' 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  1-19 

"  You  may  imagine,  father,  how  my  heart  sank  within 
me,  while  I  listened  to  these  words.  Had  my  father 
been  dignified  and  cold  as  usual,  I  should  have  promptly 
refused  to  have  anything  to  do  in  the  matter;  but, 
somehow  or  other  I  have  been  so  unaccustomed  to  hear 
him  speak  in  a  kindly  tone  of  voice  that  I  could  not  ex- 
press my  feelings.  A  mist  seemed  to  surround  me  as 
he  stooped  and  placing  his  arm  round  my  neck,  kissed 
my  cheek.  One  of  the  empty,  aching  voids  in  my  heart 
seemed  to  be  filling  up,  as  I  drank  in  the  tones  of  pa- 
ternal affection,'  and  I  leant  my  head  upon  his  shoulder, 
and  wept  the  first  tears  I  have  shed  for  many  a  day. 
He  sought  to  soothe  rne  and  left  me,  apparently  in 
the  belief  that  I  had  dutifully  acceded  to  his  views. 
Since  then,  he  has  made  a  point  of  visiting  rne  every 
evening,  before  I  retire  to  my  chamber,  and  his  man- 
ner has  become  almost  affectionate.  He  thinks  I  am 
willing  to  wed  Lord  Henry,  while  I  loathe  and  detest 
him — these  are  strong  words,  father,  perhaps  sinful  ones; 
but,  you  know  not  Henry's  character:  imbecile,  sloth- 
ful ;  he  is  a  stranger  to  any  noble  sentiment — a  de- 
bauchee and  a  roue ;  but,  with  all  this,  too  inert  to  be- 
come even  a  thorough  villain.  To  him  I  am  to  be 
made  a  sacrifice,  as  it  is  thought  willingly ;  for,  I  have 
never  had  the  heart  to  undeceive  my  father.  If  this 
were  all,  I  might  submit  to  this,  even  though  unwil- 
lingly, in  my  yearning  for  paternal  love ;  but,  about 
three  weeks  since  an  anonymous  letter  was  placed  in  my 
hands  which  informed  me  that  my  father  was  sacrificing 
my  happiness  to  his  desire  for  aggrandizement ;  that 
Lord  Fitzherbcrt  was  to  take  our  family  name  on  the 
event  of  his  marriage,  and  that  the  marriage  was  not  to 
take  place  unless — which  was  still  doubtful — the  estates 
which  were  once  supposed  to  be  Herbert's,  fell  into  his 
hands ;  thus,  I  was  to  be  sold — a  mere  necessary  attach- 
ment to  the  property  in  dispute.  How  my  soul  sick- 
ened at  the  thought!  But  this  was  not  all.  The  letter 
further  informed  rne  that  poor  Herbert  had  children 
living  in  the  United  States,  who  were  in  a  condition  of 


150  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

poverty,  and  were  undergoing  persecution  on  account  of 
this  property,  which  really  had  belonged  to  Herbert, 
and,  of  course,  now  rightfully  belongs  to  his  children. 
Father,  if  this  be  true,  can  I  become  a  party  to  this  foul 
wrong?  can  I  submit  myself  to  the  life  of  wretchedness 
I  am  called  upon  to  suffer  for  this?  For  a  worthy  pur- 
pose I  might  do  so ;  but  to  aid  in  wronging  the  children 
of  the  man  I  once  loved — never — never.  His  accusing 
spirit  would  haunt  me  in  my  dreams.  I  should  be  driven 
to  madness.  'Nay,  worse;  I  should  not  only  bid  fare- 
well to  earthly  happiness,  which,  indeed,  I  have  known 
but  little  the  value  of,  but  I  should  peril,  nay,  utterly 
cast  away  my  hopes  of  future  salvation.  Father,  what 
— what  would  you  advise  rne  to  do?" 

Father  Anseimo  had  listened  at  first  with  the  atten- 
tion he  was  accustomed  to  give  to  one  whose  religious 
instructor  he  had  been,  almost  from  her  earliest  child- 
hood, but  as  she  proceeded,  that  attention  assumed  an 
expression  of  powerful  interest,  and  when  Lady  Mary 
ceased  speaking,  he  stood  for  some  moments  silent  and 
apparently  absorbed  in  thought.  At  length  he  said : 

"  How  can  you  be  assured  that  a  letter,  the  contents 
of  which  are  of  such  a  terrible  nature,  is  worthy  of 
credit.  Perhaps,  my  daughter,  it  is  a  shameful  and  dis- 
graceful forgery." 

"  Would  to  Heaven  I  could  believe  it  to  be  so,"  re- 
plied Lady  Mary.  "  Even  at  the  cost  of  marriage  to 
one  I  loathe  and  despise,  I  could  wish  that  1  could 
believe  my  father  innocent  of  any  participation  in  such 
a  scheme  as  this.  But,  Father  Anseimo,  the  letter  bears 
the  Italian  post  mark;  it  is  written  in  that  language,  and 
is  dated  from  the  convent  where  I  was  educated,  and  of 
which  your  father  was  then  the  confessor.  Its  tone  is 
earnest,  and  bears  the  impress  of  truth;  and  I  have  an 
indistinct  recollection  of  the  handwriting  as  being  that 
of  one  whom  I  knew,  and  received  instruction  from,  in 
my  youth.  Oh!  that  I  could  disbelieve  it.  I  have 
sought  to  do  so,  but  I  cannot — I  cannot.  Father,  I 
shall  not  be  doing  wron*  in  showing  it  to  you,  in  tho 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  151 

light  of  an  adviser  in  this  painful  matter.  You  will  not 
betray  me ;  and  perhaps  your  recollection  may  aid  me  in 
tracing  my  impressions  as  to  the  writer's  name." 

Thus  speaking,  she  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  chaplain 
a  letter,  bearing  a  foreign  post  mark,  and  written  in  a 
delicate  female  hand. 

Father  Anselmo  received  the  letter  from  her,  and  pe- 
rused it  attentively,  his  features,  meanwhile,  assuming  an 
expression  of  mingled  anxiety,  pain  and  grief,  while  Lady 
Mary  watched  him  with  intense  eagerness. 

He  finished  reading,  and  deliberately  folded  the  letter, 
and  handed  it  back  to  its  owner,  without  speaking. 

"  It  is  then  as  I  conjectured  and  dreaded?"  said  Lady 
Mary. 

"  It  is  from  sister  Maria,"  was  the  sad  response  of  the 
priest. 

Both  remained  for  some  moments  absorbed  in  painful 
thought.  At  length  Lady  Mary  spoke: 

"  What  would  you  have  me  to  do?"  she  asked. 

"  My  daughter,"  said  the  priest,  his  voice  trembling 
with  emotion  ;  "  painfully — painfully  and  sorely  are  you 
tried.  The  dictates  of  my  Order  would  bid  me  say  to 
you — obey  the  will  of  your  father  in  all  things,  as  they 
would  bid  me  obey,  unquestioned,  the  will  of  my  supe- 
riors in_the  Holy  Church  ;  but  I  can  scarcely  advise  you 
thus.  Go,  my  daughter,  to  your  father ;  tell  him  that 
you  cannot  marry  Lord  Fitzherbert ;  beseech  him  to 
withdraw  his  importunities  to  that  purpose — to  alter  his 
intentions.  Speak  to  him  as  a  child  would  speak  to  a 
parent  whom  she  loved,  and  whom  she  knew  loved  her 
— speak  as  you  have  spoken,  when  a  girl,  you  asked  in 
girlish  earnestness,  for  some  trifling  favor.  I  have 
known  such  tones  touch  a  parent's  heart  when  a  more 
determined  and  more  obstinate  display  of  feeling  has 
utterly  failed.  As  yet  say  nothing  of  the  letter  or  of  the 
disclosures  therein  made.  Go,  my  daughter,"  he  con- 
tinued, placing  his  trembling  hand  upon  her  head,  "and 
my  blessing  be  with  you,  and  I  will  meanwhile  pray 
earnestly  to  Heaven  that  you  may  be  successful.  Let 


152  THE    LAWYEll'S   STORY;     OR. 

me  know  the  result  to-morrow;  if  you  are  successful,  we 
will  give  thanks  together  to  Heaven  ;  if  not  then — then 
— I  will  meditate  and  pray  for  advice  how  to  act.  This 
deadly  sin  I  cannot  allow  you  to  commit.  Go,  my 
daughter — go,  and  the  blessing  of  an  old  man,  and  the 
more  potent  blessing  of  Heaven  go  with  you."  Lady 
Mary  quitted  the  chapel,  and  Father  Anselmo  resumed 
his  devotions. 

Having  endeavored  to  assume  as  calm  an  aspect  and 
deportment  as  possible,  the  former  entered  her  own  sitting 
room,  where,  as  she  expected,  she  found  her  father  and 
Annette  awaiting  her  return. 

The  earl  was  about  to  speak,  but  his  daughter  was 
before-hand  with  him. 

"  Annette,"  she  said,  "  you  can  await  me  in  my  bed- 
chamber. I  wish  to  speak  with  my  father  before  I  re- 
tire for  the  night." 

And  as  soon  as  the  lady's  maid  had  quitted  the  room, 
she  drew  a  stool  beside  the  chair  in  which  the  earl  was 
seated,  and  seating  herself  upon  it,  she  took  one  of  his 
hands  in  hers,  at  the  same  time  saying : 

"  Dear  papa,  I  have  long  wished  to  speak  with  you 
privately  upon  a  matter  which  nearly  interests  rne.  May 
I  do  so  now  ?" 

For  many  years  Lady  Mary  had  not  called  her  father 
by  the  fond  appellation  of  ''papa,"  and  the  almost  child- 
like posture  she  had  assumed,  the  gentle  pressure  of  her 
hand,  and  the  unwonted  sound  of  the  word,  "  papa," 
almost  overpowered  the  partly  natural  and  now  habitual 
stoicism  of  the  old  earl.  Old  associations  rushed  to  his 
recollection,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  he  could  conceal 
his  emotion. 

"  Speak,  Mary ;  what  is  it  you  would  ask  of  rne  ?" 

"  Papa,"  continued  Lady  Mary,  "  I  should  have  told 
you  before ;  but  from  day  to  day  I  have  put  off  the  dis- 
tressing moment.  I  was  unwilling  to  pain  or  offend 
you,  but,  indeed,  I  cannot  marry  Lord  Henry  Fitzher- 
bert."  The  earl  withdrew  his  hand  from  his  daughter's 
grasp.  "  I  fear  that  my  silence  on  this  matter  has  led 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  163 

you  to  believe  that  I  was  willing  to  agree  to  your  pro- 
posals regarding  him ;  but — it  is  necessary  that  I  should 
explain  my  feelings  before  it  is  too  late.  I  asked  per- 
mission, some  time  since,  to  retire  to  the  convent  where- 
in I  was  educated  ;  this  desire  I  am  willing  to  forego.  1 
will  devote  rny  life  to  your  care.  I  will  watch  over 
your  declining  years.  I  will  be  all  that  a  daughter  can 
be  to  a  beloved  parent ;  but,  dear  papa,  again  I  say,  I 
cannot  consent  to  an  union  with  one  whom  I  cannot 
love." 

She  ceased  speaking,  and  anxiously  and  tremblingly 
awaited  her  father's  reply. 

The  earl  was  for  some  moments  almost  choked  with 
passion  ;  but  with  great  exertion  he  managed  to  control 
his  indignation,  as  he  replied  : 

"How  is  this,  Mary  ?  What  strange  whim  is  this? 
Have  you  not,  if  not  verbally,  at  least  tacitly,  given 
your  consent  to  rny  wishes  ?  Does  not  Fitzherbert  him- 
self believe  this  to  be  the  case  ?  What  has  put  this  no- 
tion into  your  head?  You  are  surely  joking?  Speak, 
girl,  what  is  it  you  mean  ?" 

"  Papa,  I  am  not  joking.  I  mean  what  I  say.  I  am 
in  no  mood  now  to  joke  on  so  serious  a  subject.  As  to 
Fitzherbert,  he  cares  not  for  me  or  my  love.  He  is  heart- 
less, worthless,  contemptible — as  unworthy  to  be  your 
son,  as  he  is  to  be  my  husband.  Father,  withdraw  your 
demands  as  regards  this  union.  We  can  be  happy  in 
each  other's  society.  Believe  me,  I  have  long  ginen  up 
all  thoughts  of  marriage." 

"Is  this  your  deliberate  and  earnest  determination, 
Lady  Mary?"  said  the  earl,  his  indignation  obtaining  the 
mastery  over  him. 

"  Father,  it  is." 

"  Then,  you  would  thwart  my  wishes  now;  as  you 
thwarted  them  years  ago  by  your  pride  and  caprice,  when 
J  wished  you  to  marry  the  boy  Herbert.  I  have  nour- 
ished a  viper  in  my  bosom,  and  now  in  my  old  age  it 
would  turn  and  sting  me.  Hear  me,  girl,"  continued 
the  Earl,  rising  from  his  chair ;  "  this  is  some  puling 

7* 


154  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

conceit  that  a  night's  rest  and  a  little  reflection  will  cure, 
It  was  upon  this  very  subject  I  wished  to  speak  with 
you.  to-night,  and  for  this  purpose  I  waited  while  you 
were  so  long  absent  from  your  room.  I  will  give  you 
till  this  day  week  to  decide,  and  then  I  hope  to  learn 
3rou  have  changed  your  mind.  If  not,  a  father's  curse 
will  await  you.  Hear  me,  girl,  a  father's  curse.  Nay, 
nay,"  he  added,  as  he  saw  his  daughter  was  about  to  re- 
ply— "not  now.  I  will  hear  no  more  to-night;"  and  he 
hastily  quitted  the  room. 

Lady  Mary  remained  for  some  moments  in  the  attitude 
she  had  stood  in  as  she  listened  to  her  lather's  bitter 
words.  She  then  sank  into  a  chair,  and  gave  vent  to 
her  feelings  in  a  flood  of  tears. 

"  A  father's  curse,"  she  murmured.  "Horrible — hor- 
rible ;  but  better  even  an  earthly  parent's  curse,  than  to 
bear  throughout  eternity  the  curse  of  God." 

Gradually  she  resumed  some  degree  of  composure,  and 
as  she  rested  her  aching  head  on  her  arm,  she  fell  into  a 
fit  of  musing.  Her  life  from  girlhood  passed  in  review 
before  her.  She  was  again  the  happy  child,  sporting 
beneath  the  cloudless  Italian  sky.  Again  she  was  re- 
joicing amidst  the  groves  and  gardens  of  Alton  Castle, 
happy  in  the  love  of  her  boy  lover.  From  this  blissful 
vision  she  awoke  to  a  sense  of  the  pent-up  sorrows  of 
her  woman's  life,  and  her  present  painful  situation,  and 
again  she  wept  bitterly. 

The  midnight  hour  had  long  tolled,  and  still  the  eyes 
of  Lady  Mary  were  red  with  weeping.  There  is  a  gentle 
tap  at  the  door,  and  the  lady's  maid  enters  the  room. 

"  Pardon  me,  my  lady,"  she  said  in  Italian,  "  for  this 
intrusion.  It  is  late,  very  late,  and  I  feared  you  were 
ill." 

"  No,  good  Annette,"  said  -Lady  Mary,  forcing  a  pain- 
ful smile,  "  I  am  well — quite  well,  child.  I  have  been 
in  conversation  with  my  father.  I  will  now  go  with  you 
up  stairs ;"  and  the  two  females  left  the  room  together. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  155 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Conversation  between  a  noble  Lord  and  an  ignoble  Lawyer — 
A  re-introduction  to  the  office  of  the  Jew  Money-lender  in 
t/ie  Minories. 

THE  reader  has,  for  some  time,  lost  sight  of  the  two 
worthies  of  the  legal  profession,  Gripes  and  Cheatem,  as 
well  as  of  certain  other  characters  to  whom  he  has  been 
introduced  in  previous  chapters  of  this  narrative. 

A  few  days  after  the  conversation  already  recorded  as 
having  taken  place  between  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  and 
Mr.  Gripes,  the  latter  worthy  was  again  closeted  with  the 
earl  in  a  room  at  his  mansion,  in  Grosvenor-square.  A 
long  conversation  had  evidently  taken  place  between  them 
which  was  about  being  brought  to  a  conclusion  ;  for  the 
earl  appeared  at  length  to  have  made  up  his  mind  to  a 
proposition  made  by  Gripes,  which  had  occasioned  him 
no  little  uneasiness,  Gripes  thus  addressed  his  lordship — 

"  There  can  be  no  possibility  of  detection,  my  lord,  for 
of  course  no  suspicion  could  be  attached  to  your  lord- 
ship. I  shall  set  Cheatem  to  work  at  once,  if  your  lord- 
ship is  agreeable.  His  person  is  unknown  to  any  of  the 
parties  concerned  in  this  business  excepting  yourself, 
Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert  and  I.  Besides,  he  is  used  to 
disguise  himself  for  the  purpose  of  doing  sundry  un- 
pleasant jobs  that  I  am  occasionally  obliged  to  set  him 
about,  and  he  must  do  my  bidding.  He  has  discovered 
that  the  youth  (Adolphus,  T  believe  they  call  him,)  is  ac- 
customed to  walk  out  in  Hyde  Park  almost  every  fine 
morning,  and  he  and  I  have  already  devised  a  scheme  to 
lure  him  into  our  power,  which  there  is  no  occasion  that 
your  lordship  should  be  at  all  cognizant  of.  He,  once 
out  of  the  way,  until  judgment  is  given,  at  all  events,  if 


156  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

not  forever,  the  parties  who  favor  the  case  of  him  and 
his  sister,  can  give  us  a  little  trouble ;  although  it  would 
perhaps  be  as  well,  if  we  were  afterwards  to  remove  the 
girl.  1  have  found  out  the  Yankee  lawyer  who  brought 
them  over ;  but  there  is  yet  one  thing  which  gives  me 
some  uneasiness.  It  is  that  there  is  some  London  lawyer 
of  distinction  in  the  profession,  and  who,  of  course  is 
a  very  dangerous  opponent,  assisting  in  this  matter. — If 
we  could  only  discover  him,  I  should  feel  a  great  deal 
more  secure.  I  have  hitherto  failed  in  doing  so  but  I 
shall  yet  succeed,  or  my  name  is  not  Gripes.  My  only 
fear  is  that  he  will  put  the  Yankee  up  to  some  of  the 
tricks  of  the  trade,  in  which  we  might  otherwise  baffle 
him,  though  as  for  that  these  fellows  from  the  other  side 
of  the  Atlantic  are  pretty  'smart,'  as  they  call  it.  Is 
your  lordship  satisfied  ?" 

"There  will  be  no  violence  used,  I  hope?" 

"  Dear  me ;  none  at  all.  Indeed  I  am  not  sure  that  it 
will  riot  be  really  beneficial  to  the  young  fellow.  It  will 
put  him  in  the  way  of  learning  how  to  buffet  with  the 
world,  and  to  persons  of  his  condition,  this  is  desirable, 
arid  it  will  banish  the  silly  notions  people  have  been  put- 
ting into  his  head.  It  is  only  to  be  lamented  that  the 
technicalities  of  the  law  rendered  it  necessary  to  publish 
that  advertisement  in  the  Philadelphia  papers.  I  had 
my  misgivings  from  the  first  about  that ;  but  it  was  an 
unavoidable  form,  which  has  led  to  much  trouble." 

"  And  I  am  to  understand  that  in  case  of  any — any — 
you  understand  me.  My  name  is  on  no  account  to  ap- 
pear ?" 

"  On  no  account,  my  lord  ;  nor  that  of  Lord  Henry ; 
who,  by  the  way,  appears  to  me  to  take  little  interest  in 
the  matter.  His  apathy  is  really  astonishing." 

"  Henry  is  a  fool.  I  am  only  sorry  that  no  other  per- 
son can  possibly  supply  his  place." 

"  And  Lady  Mary  Alton,  your  lordship's  daughter,  is 
she  agreeable  to  act  according  to  your  lordship's  wishes 
in  this  regard  ?" 

"  Mr.  bripes,  that  is  a  matter  in  which  you.  have  no 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  157 

business  to  meddle.  Lady  Mary  Alton  is  my  daughter, 
sir,  and  all  arrangements  regarding  her,  rest  with  me 
alone." 

"  I  beg  your  lordship's  pardon.  Then,  I  may  consider 
this  business  settled  ?' 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  our  interview  for  the  present  terminated. 
I  wish  you  good  morning." 

Gripes  left  Grosvenor-square,  and  turning  into  the 
Strand,  walked  leisurely  towards  the  city.  Having 
reached  his  own  office,  he,  according  to  appointment,  met 
his  partner,  Cheatem,  who  was  awaiting  his  chief's  ar- 
rival. 

''  Has  the  earl  consented  to  this  scheme  of  ours  ?" 
said  Cheatem,  addressing  Gripes. 

"  Yes,  and  you  had  better  set  about  the  job  as  soon  as 
possible — say  to-morrow  morning,  and  follow  it  up  until 
you  get  an  opportunity  to  carry  it  out ;  but  be  very  cir- 
cumspect." 

"  Trust  me  for  that,"  said  Cheatem,  with  a  hideous 
leer,  which  he  intended  for  a  facetious  smile;  "but 
about  the  cash — the  sinews  of  war — the  ne  plus  ultra. 
You  understand." 

"  Here  are  twenty  pounds  to  defray  the  expenses 
which  may  be  incurred  at  present,  and  the  remaining 
eighty  pounds  will  be  paid  by  the  earl  when  his  lord- 
ship has  satisfactory  assurance  that  the  youth  is  safe  off. 
I  need  not  remind  you  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  com- 
plete the  job  within  a  week.  It  is  now  the  12th,  and 
on  the  20th,  the  vessels  positively  sail." 

'•  I  have  no  doubt  but  I  shall  be  able  to  accomplish 
it  in  less  time,  but  it  is  expensive  work  for  me.  My 
business  is  going  to  ruin  while  I  am  spending  rny  time 
dabbling  in  this  matter." 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!"  laughed  Gripes,  "That  is  an  excellent 
joke  of  yours,  Cheatem — capital.  Your  business,  eh! 
Dunning  poor  wretches  for  six-and-sixpenny  debts. 
Your  business  !  Capital,  upon  my  word  !  By-the-bye, 
Cheatem,  the  earl  said  a  good  thing  the  other  day.  He 
could  not,  or  most  likely,  he  would  not  think  of  your 


158  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

name.  So  he  gave  you  a  co-partnership.  '  That  fellow, 
Clutchem  or  Cheatern,'  said  he.  '  I  have  no  doubt  eithei 
term  is  applicable !'  Capital  joke  of  his  lordship, 
wasn't  it  ?" 

Cheatem  turned  livid  with  rage,  but  he  controlled  his 
feelings  in  the  presence  of  Gripes,  whom  he  held  in 
great  dread,  and  without  replying,  he  left  the  office. 
When  he  reached  the  street,  however,  he  muttered, 
"  Let  his  lordship  take  care.  I  may  get  him  in  my 
clutches  yet,  and  he  may  find  himself  most  wofully 
cheated  too  ;  and  as  to  you,  Master  Gripes,  it  is  your  day 
now,  but  some  day  it  may  be  mine,  and  I  may  perhaps 
gripe  you  in  a  way  that  you  will  not  like.  Ha-a,  how  I 
hate  them  all.  I  hate  everything  and  everybody.  I  should 
like  to  trample  every  one  beneath  my  feet  to  crush  them 
— to  ruin  them — ah-h-h-h,"  and  he  crunched  his  yellow 
teeth  together  as  a  snarling  cur  would  do  when,  in  cow- 
ardly, impotent,  senseless  rage,  it  seeks  a  spot  wherein 
to  fix  its  fangs,  unperceived  by  the  person  it  would 
attack. 

Leaving  these  conspirators  against  poor  Adolphus  to 
work  out  their  treacherous  plans  as  best  they  may,  I 
will  speak  of  some  of  the  other  characters  with  whom 
the  reader  is  acquainted. 

Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert  was  at  this  period  following 
still  the  same  listless,  monotonous  life  he  had  followed 
for  years.  A  parade  in  the  Park  in  the  morning,  two 
or  three  times  a  week,  which  his  lordship  considered  an 
especial  hardship;  for  on  these  days  he  had  to  rise 
two  hours  earlier  than  usual,  to  don  his  regimentals 
as  a  lieutenant  of  the  Life  Guards,  to  return  to  his 
apartments  at  the  Albany,  and  then,  doffing  his  uni- 
form, to  assume  a  morning  costume ;  for  his  lordship, 
though  esteeming  it  an  honor  to  belong  to  a  crack  regi- 
ment, such  as  the  Life  Guards,  would  have  thought 
himself  irretrievably  disgraced  had  he  worn  his  regi- 
mentals on  any  other  occasions  but  those  of  parade 
and  court  drawing  rooms.  At  any  other  time  it  is  the 
custom  for  all  gentkmen  of  the  army  to  appear  in  mufti. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  159 

He  then  took  breakfast  at  11  o'clock,  and  lounged  on 
the  sofa,  in  his  dressing-gown,  until  two,  when  he  sum- 
moned his  valet  to  assist  him  in  performing  his  walk- 
ing or  riding  toilet.  A  stroll  or  a  canter  in  the  park 
occupied  him  till  six  or  seven  o'clock,  when  he  ad- 
journed to  his  club  to  dinner,  after  which  he  spent  his 
evenings,  and  nights  too,  with  some  chosen  boon  com- 
panions in  some  dignified,  aristocratic  amusement,  or  in 
gambling;  or  else,  when  "Almacks"  was  open,  re- 
turned to  the  Albany  and  dressed  for  the  ball-room, 
where,  according  to  order,  he  paid  unmeaning  and  tri« 
fling  attentions  to  Lady  Mary  Alton,  who,  on  her  part, 
received  them  coldly  and  almost  scornfull}7. 

At  times  his  lordship  was  sadly  short  of  ready  money, 
notwithstanding  he  made  no  difficulty  in  borrowing 
from  Lord  Shropshire,  or  any  one  else  whom  he  could 
persuade  to  lend  him  any  ;  so,  partly  for  the  sake  of  re- 
introducing  an  old  and  venerable  acquaintance,  and 
partly  because  this  re-introduction  will  have  something 
to  do  in  the  denouement  of  my  narrative,  I  will  beg 
the  reader  to  accompany  me  to  one  of  the  places  for  ob- 
taining ready  cash,  so  much  patronized  by  the  aristo- 
cracy of  England  who  have  either  substantial  securities 
or  good  expectations.  Of  the  former,  Lord  Henry  Fitz- 
herbert  had  few  to  boast  of,  but  latterly  he  had  been 
persuading  the  money-lenders  that  he  had  good  expec- 
tations as  regarded  the  Huntingdonshire  property,  which 
was,  in  fact,  already  considerably  reduced  by  promissory 
mortgages,  as  Lord  Shropshire  found,  eventually,  to  his 
cost. 

The  place  to  which  I  beg  the  reader  to  accompany 
me  is  no  other  than  the  den  in  the  Minories,  to  which  he 
has  been  already  introduced,  as  the  business  place  of  our 
old  friend  Mordecai. 

Nearly  fifty  years  have  passed  away  since  the  conver- 
sation there  narrated  took  place  between  Mordecai, 
Brurnmell,  and  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  then  the  Jew 
was  nn  old  man  of  nearly  sixty  years.  Nevertheless  he 
is  still  living — a  shrivelled  mummy,  almost  in  the  last 


160  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

stage  of  second  childhood — a  living  skeleton,  covered 
with  a  skin  of  wrinkled  parchment,  as  yellow  as 
the  gold  he  loved  so  well,  and  the  contemplation  of 
which  comprises  even  now  his  sole  delight.  The  active 
business  has  passed  in  the  hands  of  Jacob,  the  youth 
heretofore  mentioned,  who  is  the  nephew  of  the  old 
usurer;  but  while  he  lives,  Mordecai  cannot  be  cajoled 
into  giving  it  up.  He  still  clings  to  it  and  to  his  gold 
and  would  carry  both  with  him  into  another  world  had  he 
the  power  to  do  so.  Drivelling  and  childish  as  regards  all 
else — for  he  is  alone  in  the  world — all  his  contemporaries 
— his  wife  and  his  own  children  even  have  gone  before 
him  to  the  grave — touch  him  on  this  subject  and  his 
faculties,  though  he  is  now  in  his  hundred  and  tenth 
year,  are  as  keen  as-  ever.  Daily  does  he  crawl  down 
from  Dukes'  Place  to  the  Minories,  and  creep  up  stairs, 
and  there,  in  the  old  dusky  office,  at  the  old  table,  in 
the  accustomed  corner,  may  be  found  the  once  shrewd 
and  energetic — the  still  keen,  money-loving  usurer.  lie 
has  sense  enough  to  know,  old  and  childish  as  he  is,  that 
his  gold  is  the  only  friend  he  has  left ;  many  friends  he 
never  did  have,  gold  was  always  the  friend  he  most  loved 
and  reverenced,  and  he  has  found  his  reward  in  its  ad- 
hering to  him  when-  all  others  have  failed ;  but  he  must 
soon  leave  even  his  gold,  and  as  he  feels  the  hour  of 
parting  drawing  near,  he  clutches  it  faster  and  clings  to 
it  with  more  intensity  of  devotion. 

Jacob  is  therefore  obliged  to  treat  his  old  uncle  with 
some  degree  of  courtesy,  which  he  might  not  otherwise 
bestow  upon  him,  for  he  knows  he  is  still  in  the  old 
man's  power. 

It  is  after  dusk.  Lord  Fitzherbert  has  spent  several 
hours  of  the*previous  night  at  the  gaming  table,  and  has 
lost  heavily.  He  must  raise  a  thousand  or  two  some- 
how or  other.  He  has  a  debt  of  honor  to  pay.  If 
it  were  a  tradesman's  debt,  there  would  be  no  occasion 
to  trouble  himself.  If  he  were  dunned,  he  could  bid 
"  the  twoublesome  cweature"  to  wait ;  but  if  he  fails  tc 
pay  to  the  moment  a  debt  of  honor,  he  knows  that  he 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  161 

would  become  a  marked  man  in  fashionable  society.  He 
enters  the  office  of  the  money  lender,  who  rises  to  re- 
ceive him.  He  is  evidently  a  gentleman  with  whom  our 
old  friend  Jacob  is  well  acquainted,  and  business  trans- 
actions have  more  than  once  passed  between  them. 

"  Glad  to  see  your  lordship,"  snys  Jacob,  who,  by  the 
way,  is  a  very  different  personage  from  the  youthful 
Jacob  heretofore  described.  The  showy,  shabby  genteel 
dress,  has  been  discarded  long  ago,  and,  but  that  we  see 
in  a  corner  of  the  room,  apparently  absorbed  in  contem- 
plation, and  paying  no  attention  to  what  is  going  on, 
except  by  an  occasional  eager  glance  towards  the  table 
at  which  Jacob  is  seated,  when  he  hears  the  clink  of  coin, 
a  shrivelled,  withered  being,  whom  we  recognize  as  the 
veritable  Mordecai  himself,  we  should  also  fancy  we 
saw  him  :is  formerly  depicted,  again  restored  to  us  in 
Jacob.  There  is  the  same  shrewdness  of  visage,  the 
same  restless  eye — the  same  length  of  frow'sy  beard — • 
aye,  and  we  could  almost  swear  to  it,  the  same  long  Jew- 
ish gaberdine. 

"  Take  a  sheat,  my  lord,"  continues  Jacob.  "  Vat  ish 
your  lordships  bishnish  to-day  ?" 

"  The  old  call,  Jacob.  I  want  money,  and  by  Jove ! 
money  I  must  have." 

"  De  monish  is  scaresh — very  scaresh,"  replies  Jacob, 
in  a  tone  so  much  resembling  that  of  the  Mordecai  of 
former  days,  that  if  the  prince  and  Brummell  could  have 
heard  him,  they  would  have  believed  him  to  have  been 
Mordecai,  renovato  nomine. 

"  D n  the  scarcity.     I  must  have  it  if  it  is  to  be 

got,  or  whether  it  is  or  not.  You  know  my  securities 
are  good,  on  the  Brampton  Manor  Estates ;.  my  father, 
the  prince,  who  had  dealings  with  your  uncle  in  his 
time,  had  claims  on  them,  and  they  must  shortly  be 
mine." 

"  It  ish  a  good  prince,  but  he  must  give  good  securi- 
tish,"  said  a  sepulchral  voice,  at  the  other  end  of  the 
room,  causing  Lord  iMtzherbert  to  start,  on  account  of 
the  unearthly  tone  in  which  the  words  were  uttered. 


162  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

•  "  It  ish  noting  but  dat  old  shinner  in  the  corner,  mut- 
tering to  himself,"  said  Jacob,  noticing  the  movement  of 
his  lordship  ;  "  but  about  dese  shecuritish,  you  know  dey 
ish  only  in  prospective,  and  the  present  is  de  thing ;  de 
future  ish  not  to  be  trusted." 

"Pooh!  pooh!  cease  this  nonsense,  Jacob.  You  fleece 
me  pretty  well,  as  regards  interest,  at  all  events.  If  you 
only  get  half,  you  will  be  well  paid." 

"Vat ish  that  you  shay  about  half?"  said  Jacob,  in  a 
tone  of  apprehension. 

"  Nothing,  rny  good  fellow.  You  will  get  all,  and  a 
pretty  good  score,  too,  and  that  very  shortly.  So  ad- 
vance me  two  thousand  more,  at  what  interest  you 
please." 

"  I  have  learned  dat  dere  are  other  claimants  in  de 
field  respecting  dish  property,"  replied  Jacob,  "  and  I 
must  look  to  de  securitish." 

"  Yesh,  *de  goot  securitish  is  everyting,"  re-echoed  the 
same  sepulchral  voice,  from  the  semi  animated  mummy 
in  the  corner,  while  Jacob  continued  : 

"  I  don't  shee  dat  I  can  advansh  your  lordship  any 
more  monish  just  now." 

"  Egad  !  Jacob,  you  must"  said  Lord  Fitzherbert,  and 
after  a  good  deal  of  haggling,  his  lordship  succeeded  in 
obtaining  the  money  at  forty-five  per  cent.,  Jacob  assur- 
ing him  it  would  be  the  last  until  he  was  better  satisfied 
respecting  the  security  of  the  Brampton  Manor  estates, 
which  he  commenced  to  look  into  immediately ;  and 
thus  by  his  incautious  improvidence,  Lord  Fitzherbert 
threw  another  and  an  unexpected  difficulty  in  the  way 
of  the  earl  and  the  two  rascally  lawyers.  He,  however, 
left  in  good  spirits  with  the  money  in  his  pockets,  while 
for  the  rest  of  the  evening,  Mordecai,  in  whose  mind  the 
mention  of  the  name  of  the  prince  had  revived  a  train  of 
old  reminiscences,  continued  to  mutter : 

"  It  ish  a  goot  prince,  spends  de  monish  freely,  and  de 
peoplesh  pays  ;  but  we  must  look  to  de  securitish." 

Poor  Georgiana  still  remained  at  Mr.  Hughes'  house 
on  Clapham  common ;  seldom  going  abroad,  except  in 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  163 

company  with  Mrs.  Hughes,  and  daily  becoming  more 
apprehensive  respecting  the  fate  of  her  brother,  and  still 
Mr.  Hughes  arid  I  remained  without  any  intelligence 
respecting  him,  satisfactory  or  otherwise,  beyond  that 
which  we  had  heard  from  the  landlord  of  the  "  Cat  and 
Bagpipes,"  which,  for  aught  we  knew,  might,  after  all, 
relate  to  another  person. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A  sea-lawyer  on  hoard  her  majesty's  ship  Thunderer — A 
quarter-deck  oration — A  lady  overboard,  and  a  rescue 
from  peril — The  heir's  prospects  brighten — A  startling 
discovery, 

HER  Majesty's  ship  Thunderer  had  been  several  days 
at  sea,  during  which  period  the  weather  had  been  ex- 
cessively stormy.  Crossing  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  she  had 
been  compelled  to  "lie  to"  for  nearly  twenty-four  hours, 
and  as  the  vessel  was  bound  for  the  Mediterranean  sta- 
tion, where,  in  consequence  of  the  general  serenity  of 
the  elements,  there  is  very  little  to  do  that  calls  into 
activity  the  professional  knowledge  of  able  seamen,  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  crew,  in  fact,  the  whole  of  the 
"  waisters"  and  "  after  guard,"  consisted  of  "  green 
hands."  These  were  rendered  utterly  useless,  even  for 
the  performance  of  the  duties  that  fell  to  their  share,  in 
consequence  of  sea-sickness;  and  thus  the  able  seamen, 
the  "  old  salts,"  had  had  an  undue  portion  of  work  of 
all  kinds  thrust  upon  their  shoulders.  It  was  a  relief, 
therefore,  when  the  llock  of  Gibraltar  having  been  passed, 
the  officers  and  crew  found  themselves  safe  and  snug  on 
the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean,  where  they  could 
hope  to  obtain  a  little  respite  from  their  late  fatiguing 
duties. 

It  was  a  fine  moonlight  night,  and  the  heavy  seventy- 
four  was  swiftly  sailing  before  a  strong,  fair  breeze  along 


164  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

the  Spanish  coast,  opposite  Carthagena.  The  captain 
and  first  lieutenant  were  walking  the  quarter-deck,  en- 
joying the  freshness  of  the  breeze  and  the  sweet  perfume 
of  the  turf  from  off  the  land,  while  in  the  various  por- 
tions of  the  deck  allotted  to  them,  according  to  their 
stations  on  board,  the  officers  and  seamen  walked  to  and 
fro,  engaged  in  conversation,  or  lounged  over  the  bul 
warks  thinking,  some,  perhaps,  of  nothing,  others  of  the 
friends,  wives,  or  sweethearts,  they  had  left  behind. 
Some  of  the  officers  had  assembled  in  the  fore  part  of 
the  vessel  to  indulge  in  a  cigar,  beyond  the  smoke-in 
terdicted  precincts.  All  was  inactivity  and  listless  ease, 
for  the  hours  of  labor,  even  for  the  watch  on  deck,  were 
over. 

"  Which  do  you  say  is  he,  Mr.  Ilarlow  ?"  said  the  cap- 
tain to  the  lieutenant,  with  whom  he  had  been  for  some 
time  conversing. 

"  That  tall,  pale  young  man  leaning  over  the  bulwarks 
on  the  starboard  side  of  the  foremast,"  replied  the  lieu- 
tenant. 

"  I  have  an  objection  to  these  well  educated  fellows," 
continued  the  captain.  "  Of  all  persons  on  board  a 
man-of-war,  'sea  lawyers,'  as  they  are  not  inaptly 
termed,  are  my  abhorrence.  As  petty  officers  or  able 
seamen,  they  are  unendurable,  and  when  found  among 
the  after  guards,  waisters  or  landsmen,  the  only  way 
to  take  the  law  out  of  them  is  by  punishment.  Does  the 
fellow  work  well?" 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  he  seems  pretty  willing  to  do  what 
he  can ;  but  that's  little  enough.  What  the  d — 1  the 
Lords  of  the  Admiralty  mean  by  filling  up  Her  Majesty's 
ships  with  such  a  lot  of  dead-and-alive  lumber,  I  can't 
conceive.  Here  we  have  sixteen  midshipmen,  eight  of 
whom  have  only  just  been  let  loose  from  their  nurses' 
arms,  and  who  won't  be  of  the  least  service  until  the 
cruise  is  well  nigh  over ;  though  it's  very  possible,  from 
all  appearances,  that  the  youngest  of  them  will  walk  over 
my  head  before  I  get  promotion.  Then  there  are  nc 
less  than  two  hundred  '  green  hands'  on  board,  of 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  165 

various  capacities,  and  what  to  do  with  the  lubbers  I 
can't  tell." 

The  captain  smiled  at  the  wrath  of  the  lieutenant,  who 
was  one  of  those  unfortunate  beings  who  had  entered 
the  most  aristocratic  national  service  in  the  world  with- 
out family  interest  or  admiralty  influence,  and  who, 
though  crowned  with  grey  hairs,  was  still  a  simple  first 
lieutenant,  and  likely  to  remain  so,  for  he  had  seen  seve- 
ral raw  "suckling  midshipmen,"  as  he  was  wont  to  term 
them,  walk  over  his  head,  as  he  observed,  and  had  sailed 
under  their  orders ;  indeed,  his  present  superior  was 
twenty  years  his  junior, 

"Never  mind  the  '  green  hands,'  "  replied  the  captain, 
"we  must  make  the  best  we  can  of  them;  but  as  to 
Avhat  you  were  -saying  about  this  youngster.  What's 
his  name  ?" 

"Fitzherbert,  sir." 

"  A  d — 1  of  a  name  for  a  foremast-man  to  go  to  sea 
with,"  replied  the  captain 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,"  chimed  in  the  lieutenant,  "  the 
luu uls  call  him  Fitz,  and  I  put  down  his  name  as  such  on 
the  ship's  books — too  much  waste  of  Her  Majesty's  ink 
to  spell  it  out  at  length." 

"  And  you  say  this  lad  tells  you  he  was  decoyed  on 
board,  and  that  he  is  not  an  English  subject,"  continued 
the  captain. 

"  Yes,  sir.  He  came  to  me  with  a  long  rigmarole 
story  about  some  lawsuit,  and  said  he  claims  the  rights 
and  freedom  of  an  American  citizen." 

"  He  does,  does  he  ?"  interrupted  the  captain.  "  Well, 
then,  we'll  teach  him  the  rights  of  an  English  subject  in 
double-quick  time.  Has  the  fellow  been  preaching  the 
doctrine  of  equality  among  his  messmates?" 

"I  can't  say  that,"  continued  the  lieutenant.  "He 
does  the  work  he  is  set  to  willingly,  and  as  well  as  he 
can ;  but  as  to  his  long  yarn,  I  told  him  I  shouldn't  listen 
to  it.  '  While  on  board  the  Thunderer,  and  under  Her 
Majesty's  flag  (said  I),  you're  bound  to  be  a  British  subject, 
my  lad  ;  and  if  you  tfon't  do  your  duty  willingly,  you'll 


166  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

be  made  to  do  it ;  that's  the  long  and  the  short  of  it. 
When  this  cruise  is  over,  you  can  be  an  American 
citizen  again,  or  whatever  you  please.  So  go  to  your 
duty,  sir,  and  let  me  hear  no  more  grumbling,  or  it 
will  be  the  worse  for  you  ' ' 

"  Quite  right,  quite  right,  Mr.  Harlow.  The  young- 
ster appears  to  be  an  intellectual,  smart-looking  fellow, 
too.  Send  him  aft,  and  I'll  speak  to  him  myself." 

The  lieutenant  walked  forward  to  the  end  of  the 
quarter-deck,  and  shouted — 

"Pass  the  word  for  Fitz  to  come  aft,"  and  then  he 
muttered  to  himself,  "  An  intellectual  looking  fellow  is 
he?  some  member  of  the  swell  mob,  down  upon  his 
luck,  or  else  a  d — d  pickpocket  who  finds  London  too 
hot  to  hold  him,  I'll  be  bound." 

He  then  rejoined  the  captain,  and  Herbert  came  aft 
and  made  the  customary  salute. 

"  What's  your  name,  my  man  ?"  said  the  captain. 

"  Adolphus  Fitzherbert,  sir." 

."  Adolphus  Fitzherbert,  eh?  Named  after  some  one 
of  the  Royal  Duke's,  I  suppose?"  said  the  captain,  sar- 
castically. 

"I  believe  I  am,  sir,"  replied  Adolphus,  innocently; 
not  perceiving  the  sarcasm. 

The  captain  and  lieutenant  smiled. 

"  Well,  Adolphus,"  continued  the  captain,  ''  you'll 
have  to  dock  that  name  on  board  ship  in  the  same 
manner  that  you  docked  your  coat  tails  when  you  en- 
tered Her  Majesty's  navy.  Mr.  Harlow  tells  me  that 
you  have  been  aft  to  him  with  some  long  story  about 
having  been  decoyed  on  board  against  your  will,  and 
you  have  had  the  modesty  to  ask  him  to  use  his  in- 
fluence to  obtain  a  discharge  for  you  from  me.  Now, 
look  you  here,  sir.  If  I  were  to  listen  to  such  tales  as 
these,  I  might  discharge  half  my  crew ;  and,  if  you  were 
the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  were  once  shipped  on  board 
the  vessel  I  command,  you  would  have  to  do  your  duty, 
sir ;  willingly,  if  you  please — so  much  the  better  for 
yourself,  then — if  not  you  would  be  made  to  do  it. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  167 

You  will  get  your  discharge  three  years  hence  and  not 
a  day  sooner,  unless  by  order  of  '  Davy  Jones'  or  the 
Admiralty:  and  now  I  will  give  you  one  piece  of  ad 
vice,  which  you  will  do  well  to  follow.  I  treat  my  men 
well,  so  long  as  they  behave  themselves  well.  If  not, 
woe  betide  them.  I  have  been  told  you  are  a  'sea 
lawyer.'  I  hope  not,  for  your  own  sake ;  for,  if  I  find 
you  out  putting  bad  notions  into  the  heads  of  your  mess- 
mates, I'll  see  your  back  bone,  sir.  Mark  that.  Yor 
look  like  a  smart  lad.  Go  to  your  duty  ;  do  it  like  a 
man,  and  let  me  hear  no  bad  account  of  you,  and  you 
will  soon  get  used  to  the  ship  and  be  comfortable 
enough  ;  if  you  don't,  you  will  wish  yourself  in  h — 1." 

Having  delivered  himself  of  this  speech,  the  captain 
turned  011  his  heel  and  resumed  his  narrow  walk,  and 
Adolphus  went  forward  with  a  heavy  heart ;  for,  poor 
fellow,  he  had  thought  in  the  simplicity  of  his  heart  and 
in  his  ignorance  of  naval  discipline,  that  the  lieutenant 
had  told  his  story  to  the  captain,  and  that  may  be  he 
was  to  receive  his  discharge  at  the  first  port  the  vessel 
touched  at. 

He  thought,  however,  it  was  best  to  take  the  advice 
of  the  captain,  and  from  that  moment  he  sedulously  at- 
tended to  his  duties,  and  even  became,  after  a  time, 
quite  a  favorite  with  the  officers. 

The  vessel  proceeded  to  Corfu,  where  some  dispatches 
were  landed,  and  then  cruised  for  some  three  months 
between  the  coast  of  Italy  and  the  island  of  Sardinia. 
At  the  expiration  of  that  time,  she  put  into  the  bay  of 
Naples,  where  she  was  to  remain  for  some  weeks,  wait- 
ing orders  from  the  admiral,  who  was  at  Malta.  At 
length  orders  were  received  for  her  to  proceed  to  Malta, 
and  to  take  ^hither  the  British  Ambassador  in  Italy, 
who  was  called  to  Malta  on  business  of  pressing  ur- 
gency. 

Some  ladies  belonging  to  an  English  and  to  an  Ameri- 
can family,  who  were  travelling  in  the  south  of  Europe, 
the  latter  of  whom,  through  the  American  Minister, 
had  been  introduced  to  the  British  Ambassador's  family, 


168  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

expressed  a  strong  desire  to  visit  Malta,  and  although 
it  was  not  strictly  conformable  with  the  rules  of  the 
service,  the  captain,  at  the  request  of  the  ambassador. 
Lad  promised  to  give  them  a  passage  with  their  male 
friends.  Accordingly,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  the  first 
lieutenant,  who  swore  that  there  was  no  luck  on  board 
a  ship  where  there  was  a  petticoat,  and  much  to  the 
delight  of  the  junior  officers  and  midshipmen,  an  Eng- 
lish lady  with  her  husband  and  daughter  and  an  Ameri- 
can lady  with  a  nephew  and  a  niece  were  received  on 
board  the  Thunderer,  the  night  she  weighed  anchor  for 
Malta. 

Of  course  the  two  young  ladies  were  great  favorites 
with  the  officers,  and  the  trip  to  Malta  was  a  very  plea- 
sant one.  When  they  were  about  to  leave  the  vessel 
at  Valette,  to  go  on  shore,  Fitzherbert  was  ordered  into 
the  boat,  he  being  one  of  the  cutter's  crew. 

The  young  American  lady  unfortunately  made  a  false 
step  in  descending  into  the  boat,  and  fell  overboard, 
and  though  she  was  buoyed  up  by  her  clothing,  she  was 
rapidly  swept  astern  by  the  tide.  All  was  dismay  and 
confusion  ;  the  boat  was  released  from  the  tackles,  and 
orders  given  to  pull  after  the  poor  girl ;  but  before  this 
could  be  done,  Adolphus,  who  was  an  excellent  swim- 
mer, had  plunged  over  the  side,  and  through  his  own 
powerful  efforts,  aided  by  the  tide,  had  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  young  lady,  and  buoying  her  up,  just  as  she 
was  on  the  point  of  sinking,  her  clothes  having  become 
saturated  with  water.  His  strength  was  almost  gone  by 
the  time  the  boat  reached  them,  for  they  had  drifted  a 
long  way  astern ;  but  happily  they  were  both  taken 
safely  on  board.  The  young  lady  was  insensible,  but 
she  was  soon  restored  by  the  skill  of  the  surgeon,  and 
carefully  conveyed  ashore.  Adolphus  also  was  almost 
overpowered,  and  was  stripped  and  placed  in  his  ham- 
mock. 

In  the  evening  the  Captain  called  upon  the  ladies,  to 
inquire  how  the  young  lady  was  after  her  unfortunate 


THE   ORPHANS  WRONGS.  169 

submersion.     She  was,  in  fact,  almost  recovered,  and 
was  reclining  on  a  sofa. 

Of  course,  inquiries  were  made  respecting  the  young 
sailor  who  had  so  gallantly  risked  his  life  in  seeking  to 
rescue  the  young  lady  from  the  water,  and  a  wish  was 
expressed  to  see  him. 

"  By-the-bye,"  said  the  captain,  "  that  puts  me  in  mind 
that  the  admiral  himself  wishes  to  see  the  young  man, 
who  I  believe  is  to  receive  his  discharge.  There  is 
something  romantic,  I  am  told,  in  his  history,  and  in  the 
manner  in  which  he  was  sent  on  board  the  Thunderer. 
I  will  bring  him  on  shore  with  me  by-and-bye,  and  then 
the  young  lady  can  thank  her  gallant  deliverer  in  per- 
son. What  the  story  is,  I  as  yet  do  not  know.  But,  by 
the  way ;  upon  my  word,  I  had  nearly  forgotten  it.  I 
was  by  when  they  were  stripping  the  young  man  in 
order  to  apply  the  necessary  restoratives,  and  this  minia- 
ture was  taken  from  his  neck,  where  it  was  suspended 
by  a  black  riband.  I  took  hold  of  it  carelessly,  imagin- 
ing it  be  some  love  lorn  damsel's  gage  d"1  amour,  and 
was  so  struck  with  the  extraordinary  resemblance  of  the 
features  of  the  lady  it  represents  to  your's,  madam,"  con- 
tinued he,  turning  to  the  American  lady,  "  that  I  could 
not  help  putting  it  into  my  pocket  and  fetching  it  on 
shore  to  show  you.  Upon  my  word,"  he  added,  taking 
the  miniature  from  his  pocket  and  comparing  it  with  the 
features  of  the  lady,  "the  resemblance  is  perfect.  She 
it  represents  and  you,  madam,  might  have  been  twin 
sisters." 

The  lady  he  had  spoken  to  received  the  miniature 
from  him,  and  had  no  sooner  glanced  at  it  than  she  ex- 
claimed— 

"  Good  God  !  this  is  the  likeness  of  my  poor  sister 
Ellen  !"  Her  agitation  became  extreme,  and  of  course 
the  anxiety  to  see  and  know  more  of  the  youth  was  re- 
doubled— in  fact  intensified.  All  were  now  alike  eager, 
and  the  captain  promised  that  as  soon  as  the  young  man 
had  received  his  discharge  papers  from  the  admiral,  he 
would  bring  him  to  the  house. 

8 


170  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

"  Probably,"  said  he,  "  I  may  fetch  him  on  shore  with 
me  to-morrow." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  release,  from  the  Man-of-war — The  hero  is  introduced  to 
some  newly  discovered  relatives — lie  gives  a  novel  illustra- 
tion of  the  old  Press-gang  system. 

ON  the  arrival  of  the  Thunderer  at  Malta,  the  admiral 
on  the  station,  as  will  have  been  perceived  from  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  had  sent  for  Sir  Edward  Owen,  the  cap- 
tain of  the  seventy-four,  and  held  a  long  conversation 
with  him,  as  regarded  the  operations  of  the  Mediterranean 
fleet,  of  which  Sir  Edward  was  the  senior  captain : 

"  And,  by  the  by,  said  the  admiral,  in  conclusion, 
"  have  you  a  young  man  of  the  name  of  Fitzherbert  on 
board  the  Thunderer  ?  I  have  received  a  letter  (officially) 
from  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty,  ordering  me  to  procure 
his  immediate  discharge,  should  he  be  on  board  either  of 
the  three  ships  which  have  lately  arrived  from  England. 
I  have  enquired  of  the  captains  of  the  Redoubtable  and 
the  Vixen,  and  they  have  no  such  person  as  is  described, 
either  in  the  official  letter  or  in  another  private  letter  I 
have  received  from  Mr.  Hughes,  a  solicitor,  or  barrister 
of  some  note  in  London,  and,  indeed,  the  letters  seem  to 
imply  that  it  is,  at  the  least,  doubtful,  whether  the  young 
man  is  on  board  either  one  of  the  vessels." 

"  There  is  a  young  man  of  that  name  on  board  the 
Thunderer,"  replied  the  Captain,  "  who,  if  I  recollect 
aright,  preferred  some  silly  suit  to  my  first  lieutenant  re- 
questing his  discharge,  on  the  plea  that  he  had  been  de- 
coyed on  board  against  his  will,  and  that  he  was  an 
American  by  birth,  and  had  come  to  England  to  look 
after  some  property  to  which  he  was  heir,  and  the  right 
of  which  was  claimed  by  some  other  parties.  Of  course, 
I  took  no  notice  of  that,  except  it  was  to  tell  the  officers 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  171 

to  keep  a  bright  look  out  as  to  the  youngster's  behavior ; 
for  you  must  yourself  have  experienced,  sir,"  continued 
the  captain,  "  what  a  nuisance  these  sea  lawyer  fellows 
are  on  board  a  ship.  However,  the  lad  has  behaved 
pretty  well,  and  to'day  he  performed  a  very  gallant  ac- 
tion in  saving  one  of  the  ladies  I  brought  over  from 
Naples,  from  drowning." 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  the  admiral,  "I  have  heard  of  that 
affair.  So,  this  youth — this  Fitzherbert,  saved  the  lady  ? 
Well,  I  presume  he's  the  young  man  who  is  mentioned 
in  the  letter,  therefore,  Sir  Edward,  you  had  better  fetch 
him  on  shore  with  you  to-morrow,  and  then  we'll  ex- 
amine into  the  merits  of  the  case." 

"  Your  orders  shall  be  obeyed  sir,"  replied  the  captain. 

"You'll  dine  with  me  at  six  o'clock,  Captain  Owen?" 

"  You  must  excuse  me  to-day,  sir.  I  must  perform  an 
act  of  duty  as  well  as  of  gallantry,  in  calling  to  see  how 
the  lady  is  after  her  unfortunate  submersion,  and  then  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  go  on  board  my  ship ;  for,  as  you  say, 
our  stay  here  may  be  very  limited,  I  must  give  Mr. 
Harlow  orders  to  have  the  rigging  of  the  mainmast  tho- 
roughly overhauled  at  once.  It  is  entirely  new,  and  has 
stretched  considerably  since  we  got  into  warm  weather." 

"Very  well,  Sir  Edward.  Duty,  as  you  know,  must 
be  attended  to ;  but,  I  shall  have  the  happiness  of  seeing 
you  at  my  dinner  table  to-morrow?" 

"  With  pleasure,  sir,"  answered  the  captain ;  and  he 
then  proceeded  to  visit  the  ladies. 

While  engaged  in  the  duty  of  washing  decks,  shortly 
after  daylight  on  the  following  morning,  Adolphus,  who 
had  quite  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  previous  day's 
submersion,  and  who  was  up  and  at  his  post  as  usual, 
received  a  summons  to  go  aft  to  the  captain's  cabin. 

Having  had  no  communication  with  the  captain  since 
the  occasion  already  recorded,  which  was,  as  the  reader 
will  recollect,  by  no  means  a  pleasant  one,  it  was  with  a 
strange  feeling  of  uncertainty  that  the  young  man  has- 
tened to  obey  the  summons,  and  to  appear  before  the 
autocrat  of  the  quarter-deck.  Nor  was  he  at  all  re- 


172  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

fissured,  as  in  passing  the  first  lieutenant,  who  was  stand- 
ing in  the  hammock-nettings,  looking  at  something  on 
shore,  through  a  spy-glass,  that  important  functionary 
said  to  him : 

"  You're  in  luck,  Fitz,  my  lad,  and  I  wish  you  joy 
of  it ;"  for  Mr.  Harlow  had  a  very  facetious  way  of  ex- 
pressing himself  sometimes,  and  a  joke  was  oftentimes 
nay,  mostly,  with  him,  the  prelude  to  some  sort  of 
punishment. 

Adolphus  began  to  consider  in  what  he  might  have 
failed.  To  be  sure,  he  had  saved  the  life  of  a  young 
lady  the  day  before,  at  the  risk  of  his  own,  and  he  knew 
that  under  most  circumstances  that  was  a  praiseworthy 
action ;  but,  as  yet,  he  found  such  strange  contrarieties 
in  the  exaction  of  discipline  on  board  a  man-of-war,  and 
he  felt  so  certain  of  a  reprimand  for  something  or  other, 
that  he  began  to  think  that,  according  to  the  rules  of  the 
service,  he  had  no  right  to  desert  his  post  as  coxswain 
of  the  cutter,  even  to  save  life,  without  orders  from  his 
superior  officer.  It  was  then  with  something  like  fear  and 
trembling,  although  with  a  perfect  consciousness  of  in- 
nocence of  any  wilful  neglect  of  duty,  that  he  passed  the 
sentry  at  the  door  of  the  captain's  cabin,  and  found  him- 
self in  the  presence  of  the  naval  chief. 

"  Fitz,"  said  the  captain,  "you  .behaved  very  gallant- 
ly, yesterday,  in  so  promptly  rescuing  the  young  lady 
who  fell  overboard,  from  almost  certain  death,  but  for 
your  timely  assistance.  Some  months  since,  you  pre- 
ferred a  request  to  Mr.  Harlow,  soliciting  your  discharge 
from  the  service ;  and  you  may  recollect  I  told  you  that 
without  an  order  from  'Davy  Jones'  or  the  Admiralty, 
no  discharge  would  you  get  until  the  cruise  came  to  an 
end.  Well,  my  lad,  '  Davy  Jones'  came  near  sending 
you  an  order  yesterday,  I  take  it,  for  a  few  more  mo- 
ments' delay  with  the  boats,  and  both  you  and  the  lady 
would  have  sunk  fathoms  deep  in  his  capacious  locker, 
and  a  few  hours  afterwards  I  actually  received  an  Ad- 
miralty order  for  your  discharge,  and  I  am  happy  to  say 
that  1  can  give  you  a  good  character  with  your  discharge 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  173 

papers.  It  may  not  seem  likely  to  be  of  much  service 
to  you  just  now ;  but,  my  good  lad,  always  strive  to  do 
your  duty  in  any  situation,  however  humble,  that  you 
may  be  called  to  fill,  and  you  will  not  repent  it.  You 
will  get  yourself  ready  to  go  on  shore  with  me  to  see 
the  admiral,  and  then  you  will  be  free  from  my  control. 
Afterwards,  I  will  take  you  to  see  the  young  lady  you 
rescued  from  the  water,  who  is  anxious,  personally,  to 
thank  you.  I  am  a  little  curious  to  know  your  story, 
now  I  find  your  application  for  liberty  was  not  a  hum- 
bug ;  nevertheless,  you  need  tell  me,  or  the  admiral,  as 
little  of  it  as  you  choose.  You  know  best  your  own 
affairs.  And  now  let  me  ask  you  one  question :  Have 
you  missed  anything — any  little  valuable  that  you  have 
been  accustomed  to  carry  about  your  person  ?" 

"  I  have  lost  a  small  miniature  portrait  of  my  mother, 
Sir  Edward,  that  1  have  worn  since  childhood ;  and 
although  I  have  sought  everywhere  for  it,  I  have  been 
unable  to  find  it." 

"  I  have  that  portrait,  and  last  night  I  left  it  at  the 
house  where  the  ladies  are  stopping.  You  can  get  it 
when  you  go  ashore  ;  and  now  answer  me  another  ques- 
tion. Had  your  mother  any  sisters  ?  " 

"I  believe  she  had  one,  sir,  who  went  to  America 
shortly  after  her  marriage,  and  whom  my  poor  mother 
subsequently  lost  sight  of.  When  my  mother  first 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  she  made  inquiry  re- 
specting her  sister,  but  without  effect.  She  may  be 
living  or  dead — but  so  far  as  I  know,  I  have  but  one  re- 
lation living  in  the  world,  and  that  is  my  sister,  who  is 
now  living  in  London." 

•'  Humph,"  exclaimed  the  captain,  musingly,  and  then 
he  added — "Well,  Fitz,  or  Fitzherbert,  1  will  restore 
your  name  to  you  now ;  be  ready  to  go  on  shore  within 
an  hour." 

"Yes.  sir,"  replied  Adolphus,  and  he  left  the  cabin 
with  a  lightened  heart. 

''  I  told  you  you  were  in  luck,  Fitz,"  repeated  the  first 
lieutenant,  as  the  young  man  passed  him  on  his  way 


174:  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

forward ;  "  but  I  hope  there's  no  more  chaps  on  board 
found  to  row  in  the  same  boat,  or  else  the  Thunderer  will 
fall  short  of  hands.  No  great  loss  neither,  when  we 
think  of  their  being  such  a  pack  of  greenhorns." 

At  the  appointed  time,  Adolphus,  dressed  in  his  finest 
sailor  attire,  was  ready  to  attend  the  captain  on  shore, 
and  a  smarter,  handsomer- looking  sailor  lad  never  stepped 
over  the  side  of  a  ship  than  he ;  the  fanciful  blue  navy 
jacket,  the  white  shirt  with  the  collar  thrown  back,  and 
loosely  confined  at  the  throat  with  a  black  ribbon ;  the 
ample  and  snow-white  trowsers,  and  polished  low-quar- 
tered shoes,  and  the  low  crowned,  natty  straw  hat  which 
completed  his  attire,  set  off  his  handsome  figure  and  in- 
telligent face  to  great  advantage.  He  had  become  con- 
siderable of  a  favorite  among  his  messmates,  and  many  a 
kindly  wish  was  expressed  as  he  descended  into  the  boat 
alongside,  such  as, 

u  Good  bye,  Fitz,  old  boy ;  a  happy  meeting  with 
absent  friends."  "Look  sharp  after  your  sweetheart, 
Fitz ;  see  that  no  land-lubbers  have  been  athwart  her 
hawse  since  you  parted  company  ;  if  they  have,  trounce 
'ern  well.  Heigh,  ho  !  I  should  like  to  be  a-going  home 
to  see  my  Peggy."  "  Luck  go  with  you,  Fitz  ;  I  wish  I 
was  a-going  to  ship  in  the  same  vessel  with  you  ;  you're 
in  luck,  old  fellow." 

Such  exclamations  as  these,  and  sundry  rough,  but 
affectionate  slaps  on  the  back,  arid  squeezes  from  tarry, 
brawny  fists,  followed  the  young  man  as  he  bid  adieu  to 
the  rude  but  honest  fellows,  with  whom,  for  months,  he 
had  been  associated. 

On  reaching  the  shore,  Fitzherbert  followed  the  captain 
to  the  admiral's  office,  and,  a  preliminary  examination 
having  taken  place,  the  admiral  and  captain  were  satis- 
fied, and  Adolphus  was  once  more  free. 

The  admiral  complimented  him  highly  upon  his 
promptitude  and  courage  in  saving  the  }'oung  lady's  life, 
and  at  the  same  time  placed  in  his  hands  the  amount  of 
pay  due  to  him,  adding  twenty  pounds,  which  Adolphus 
would  accept  only  as  a  loan,  to  assist  him  in  paying  his 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  175 

expenses  to  England.  He  briefly  related  to  the  admiral 
and  captain  the  means,  so  far  as  he  was  cognizant  of 
them,  that  were  used  to  entrap  him  and  convey  him  on 
board  the  seventy-four,  and  also  satisfied  the  captain  as 
regarded  his  expressed  curiosity  respecting  the  lawsuit 
which  had  induced  his  friend  (myself)  to  take  him  to 
England. 

"  By  George !  Fitzherbert,"  said  Sir  Edward,  "  I  didn't 
think  I  was  so  near  hitting  the  mark  when  1  asked  if  you 
were  named  afier  one  of  the  royal  dukes,  and  you  so 
naively  answered  that  you  believed  you  were.  I  thought, 
my  lad,  3^ou  were  either  a  great  rogue  or  a  great  fool, 
and  I  hardly  know  which  I  detest  the  most  on  board  my 
ship.  Now  put  on  your  best  looks  and  we'll  go  and  see 
the  ladies." 

The  captain  and  his  protege  then  walked  to  the  house 
in  which  the  ladies  had  taken  up  their  residence,  and 
were  immediately  ushered  into  their  presence,  and  tho 
most  grateful  acknowledgments  were  rendered  to  Adol- 
phus  for  his  gallant  services  by  all  the  ladies. 

The  American  lady,  who,  as  the  reader  may  have  sur- 
mised, was  no  other  than  our  friend  Mrs.  Lyman,  who 
was  accompanied  by  her  niece  Juliet,  and  a  nephew  she 
had  met  in  England,  who  was  acting  as  cicerone  to  the 
ladies  during  their  southern  tour,  looked  at  the  young 
man  earnestly  for  some  moments  and  whispered  some- 
thing to  her  niece,  who  in  her  turn  regarded  him  with 
curiosity  and  anxiety  blended. 

"Ask  him,  aunt,"  said  the  latter,  after  some  earnest, 
low-toned  conversation. 

"  May  I  ask  you  what  was  the  maiden  name  of  your 
mother,  young  gentleman  ?  for  such  I  think  I  may  now 
call  you,"  said  Airs.  Lyman. 

"Ellen  llarcourt,  ma'am,"  replied  Adolphus. 

"Good  God!  it  is  as  I  hoped,  yet  doubted,"  said  Mrs. 
Lyman  to  her  niece,  in  a  low  tone  of  voice,  while  the 
young  lady  blushed  deeply  and  trembled  nervously. 

"  And  this,"  she  continued,  addressing  Adolphus,  and 
diking  up  the  miniature  which  lay  on  the  table  before 


176  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

her,  "  this  miniature  which  Sir  Edward  Owen  brought 
on  shore  yesterday,  is  your  mother's  portrait?" 

"  It  is,  ma'am.  I  have  worn  it  round  my  neck  as  long 
as  I  can  recollect,  and  was  deeply  grieved  when  I  fan- 
cied I  had  lost  it,  as  I  believed,  in  the  water." 

"  And  your  name,  sir?" 

"Is  Adolphus  Fitzherbert,  ma'am.  My  mother  ac- 
companied my  father  to  the  United  States  a  few  years 
after  her  marriage,  and  both  my  parents  died  there  while 
I  was  still  a  child,  and  shortly  after  the  birth  of  my  sis- 
ter Georgia  na." 

"  Did  YOU  ever  hear  your  parents  speak  of  your  aunt 
Juliet?" 

"  I  was  but  a  child  when  they  died,  ma'am,  as  I  have 
said  ;  but  I  have  an  indistinct  recollection  of  hearing  my 
mother  speak  of  an  elder  sister  who  had  married  a  gen- 
tleman whose  name  I  do  not  recollect,  and  who  had  gone 
to  America  some  years  before  she  was  married,  accom- 
panied by  her  husband  and  his  sister." 

"  That  is  sufficient,  Adolphus,"  said  the  lady,  much 
agitated.  "  Pardon  me  for  calling  you  by  your  baptismal 
name;  but  I  am  your  aunt,  as  well  as  the  aunt  of  this 
young  lady,  who  is  the  daughter  of  your  late  aunt  Juliet, 
who  married  my  brother,  Mr.  Hawthorne.  I  accompa- 
nied them  to  the  United  States.  Adolphus,  you  yester- 
day saved  your  cousin's  life,"  she  added,  taking  the  hand 
of  the  blushing  and  now  weeping  girl,  and  placing  it  in 
that  of  her  newly  found  cousin.  Actuated  by  the  im- 
pulse of  the  moment,  the  warm-hearted  and  grateful  girl 
kissed  her  cousin,  and  the  kiss  was  warmly  returned 
by  Adolphus.  As  for  Mrs.  Lyman,  having  introduced 
the  cousins  and  acknowledged  her  nephew's  relationship, 
she  did  as  women  are  apt  to  do  in  such  cases,  gave  way 
to  tears ;  and  the  English  lady  and  her  daughter  wept 
from  sympathy.  Adolphus  felt  himself  like  one  awaken- 
ing from  a  dream.  lie  could  not  trust  his  senses,  and 
he  gazed  around  him  and  passed  his  hand  across  his 
brow ;  while  Captain  Owen,  fancying  that  he  was  an  de 
{rop,  quietly  kit  the  room.  "When  the  ladies  had  rcco- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  177 

vered  their  composure,  and  Adolphus  had  become  fully 
satisfied  that  he  was  not  really  dreaming,  a  conversation 
was  commenced  which  naturally  soon  became  of  great 
interest  to  the  assembled  party,  and  it  was  decided  that 
the  young  man  should  write  to  his  sister,  to  Mr.  Hughes, 
and  to  myself,  stating  that  he  had  obtained  his  discharge, 
and  thanking  us  for  our  efforts  in  his  behalf:  also  detail- 
ing the  strange  and  romantic  adventure  he  had  met  with. 
He  then,  it  was  arranged,  should  return  with  his  aunt 
and  cousin  to  Naples,  and  take  the  earliest  opportunity 
of  revisiting  England.  This  matter  settled  for  the  present, 
I  must  leave  Adolphus  in  the  company  of  his  newly  found 
relatives,  and  speak  of  other  parties  who  figure  in  my 
narrative. 

Before  I  conclude  this  chapter,  however,  I  will  briefly 
relate  the  story  of  his  kidnapping,  told  by  Adolphus  to 
the  admiral  and  captain,  and  also  subsequently  told  to 
his  aunt  and  cousin,  and  to  myself  after  his  return  to 
England : 

He  had  been  watching  with  great  interest  a  review  of 
the  Household  troops,  in  Hyde  Park,  and  while  so  en- 
gaged a  gentleman  who  stood  near  him  had  directed  his 
attention  to  the  principal  manoeuvres  of  the  large  body 
of  soldiers  ;  also  pointing  out  several  persons  of  distinc- 
tion, who,  on  horseback  or  in  carriages,  were  watching 
the  interesting  spectacle.  When  the  review  was  over, 
he  felt  very  warm,  for  the  day  was  sultry,  and  the  dust 
created  by  the  rapid  evolutions  of  the  cavalry  and  in- 
fantry had  provoked  a  sensation  of  great  thirst.  At  the 
request  of  the  gentleman  who  had  been  so  attentive  to 
him  in  the  Park,  (seeing,  as  Adolphus  supposed,  that  he 
was  a  stranger,)  he  had  accompanied  him  to  a  tavern  to 
obtain  some  refreshment.  He  recollected  calling  for 
some  sandwiches  and  a  glass  of  Burton  ale,  and  there  his 
recollection  failed  him.  He  indistinctly  remembered, 
however,  being  in  the  company  of  several  other  persons 
dressed  as  sailors,  who  he  fancied  carried  him  from  place 
to  place,  until  they  prevailed  upon  him  to  visit  Greenwich 
Hospital.  He  seemed  to  have  lost  all  power  of  volition  of 

8* 


THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

bis  own,  but  knew  that  somehow  or  other  he  arrived 
at  Greenwich,  and  entered,  with  his  companions,  either 
the  Hospital  or  some  other  dwelling,  where  there  was 
a  great  bustle  going  on.  While  here  he  became  per- 
fectly unconscious,  and  the  next  morning  when  he 
awoke  he  found  himself  handcuffed  to  a  rough  looking 
seaman,  on  board  the  tender,  in  company  with  a  great 
number  of  other  pairs,  in  a  similar  unpleasant  predica- 
ment. His  mouth  was  parched,  and  he  felt  a  horrid 
sensation  of  sickness  at  the  stomach,  and  came  to  the 
conclusion  that,  for  some  purpose  or  other,  the  first 
glass  of  ale  he  had  taken  had  been  drugged.  However, 
he  had  little  time  for  consideration,  for  in  a  few  mo- 
ments the  tender  was  got  under  way,  and  she  bore  down 
alongside  a  large  ship,  with  three  rows  of  cannon, 
which  he  was  told  was  a  seventy-four  he  had  shipped 
on  board  of  on  the  previous  evening,  and  had  sub- 
sequently been  placed  in  the  tender  and  handcuffed, 
lest  he  might  alter  his  mind  and  take  French  leave 
in  the  morning,  after  having  legally  sold  himself  when 
he  had  taken  Her  Majesty's  shilling. 

The  reader  is  conversant  with  the  remainder  of  his 
history  up  to  the  date  of  his  obtaining  his  discharge  from 
the  admiral  at  Malta. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Abduction  of  the  Heroine — A  little  private  transaction 
between  a  Noble  Lord  and  his  Legal  Adviser,  and  a 
Lawyer  and  his  man  of  All  Work. 

I  NOW  introduce  the  reader  to  the  drawing-room  of 
Mr.  Hughes'  house  on  Clapham  Common.  Mrs.  Hughes 
is  sitting  with  Georgianaat  an  open  window  which  looks 
upon  a  neatly  kept  lawn,  lavishly,  but  not  too  profusely 
bedecked  with  flower  beds,  from  which,  with  good  taste 
all  the  more  gaudy  specimens  of  the  floral  tribe  have 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  179 

been  excluded ;  the  less  showy  but  really  more  beautiful 
moss-rose,  the  lily  and  the  pink,  intermingled  with 
southern-wood  and  other  perfumed  shrubbery,  setting 
oil'  their  delicate  beauty  like  the  frame- work  to  a  pic- 
ture, being  more  in  keeping  with  the  quiet,  trim,  com- 
pact little  pleasure  ground,  than  woull  have  been  the 
gay  hollyhock,  the  many  colored  tulip,  or  the  gorgeous 
sunflower.  Around  the  bay  window  clings  in  rich  pro- 
fusion the  creeping  woodbine  filling  the  air  with  its 
delicate  perfume.  The  house  is  a  lovely  specimen  of  a 
suburban  villa.  Both  ladies  are  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion and  at  the  same  time  watching  the  pedestrians 
and  the  carriages,  as  they  pass  along  the  road  across  the 
Common,  a  few  hundred  yards  distant  from  the  gate 
of  Mr.  Hughes'  dwelling.  The  postman  is  seen  crossing 
the  road  and  making  his  way  towards  the  house.  Mrs. 
Hughes  is  the  first  to  see  him,  and  she  points  him  out 
to  Georgiana,  saying  playfully : 

"Suppose,  my  dear,  the  man  should  bring  news  at 
last  of  the  knight  errant.  Let  us  walk  down  to  the  gate 
and  meet  him." 

Both  the  Indies  rose  and  stepped  from  the  window  on 
to  the  lawn. 

"  A  letter  for  Mrs.  Hughes — threepence  if  you  please," 
said  the  postman  when  they  had  met  him. 

Mrs.  Hughes  took  the  letter  and  paid  the  man, 
saying— 

"  A  letter  from  Mr.  Hughes,  I  declare !  What  can 
have  caused  him  to  write  from  the  city  ?  He  has  not 
been  gone  away  three  hours." 

She  broke  the  seal  and  read  as  follows : 

11  LINCOLN'S  INN, . 

"Mr  DEAR  MARY:  In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  a 
carriage  will  arrive  for  Miss  Fitzherbert,  whom  I  wish 
to  meet  me  at  the  'Inn'  at  two  o'clock  precisely  and  I 
will  then  accompany  her  to  '  Doctor's  Commons.' 

"  I  have  not  time  to  explain  further  than  to  say  that  I 


180  THE  LAWYER'S  STOEY;  OB, 

have  heard  good  news  respecting  Adolphus,  and  MissF. 
will  meet  her  brother  at  the  '  Commons.' 

"  Pray  desire  her  to  prepare  herself  immediately,  so  as 
to  cause  no  delay  when  the  carriage  calls.  I  would  have 
sent  John  back  with  my  gig,  but  this  unexpected  busi 
ness  will  keep  him  employed  in  town.  The  man  I  send, 
however,  has  full  directions  how  to  proceed. 

"  I  will  bring  Adolphus  and  Georgiana  home  with  me 
this  evening. 

"  Your  affectionate  husband, 

"  HUGHES  H.  HUGHES." 

"  Am  I  not  a  true  prophet,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Hughes, 
when,  after  having  perused  the  note,  she  placed  it  in  the 
hands  of  Georgiana.  "Said  I  not  we  should  have  news 
of  the  wandering  knight  ?" 

A  flush  of  joy  passed  over  the  pale  features  of  the  poor 
girl  as  she  read  the  happy  intelligence  of  her  brother's 
safety  and  of  his  return,  and  without  power  to  utter  a 
word  in  reply  to  the  playful  badinage  of  Mrs.  Hughes, 
she  bounded  into  the  house,  and  made  instant  prepara- 
tions for  her  visit  to  the  city. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes  she  was  ready,  and 
shortly  afterwards  a  post  chaise  drove  up  to  the  gate, 
and  the  coachman  descending  from  his  seat,  informed  the 
ladies  that  he  had  come,  by  request  of  Mr.  Hughes,  to 
convey  Miss  Fitzherbert  to  Lincoln's  Inn. 

Mrs.  Hughes  kissed  Georgiana,  as  the  latter  sprung 
gaily  into  the  carriage,  saying: 

"  Tell  Mr.  Hughes,  dear,  that  I  shall  have  a  feast  pre- 
pared to-night  to  welcome  the  return  of  the  prodigal." 

The  carriage  rolled  away  rapidly  in  the  direction  of 
the  city,  and  Mrs.  Hughes,  after  watching  it  until  it  was 
no  longer  visible,  returned  into  the  house. 

For  the  remainder  of  the  day  the  good  lady  was  in  a 
great  state  of  curiosity  and  excitement,  and  as  five 
o'clock,  the  hour  of  her  husband's  usual  return  home, 
drew  near,  she  posted  herself  at  the  gate  at  the  entrance 
of  the  lawn,  where  she  could  obtain  a  view  of  the  well- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  181 

known  gig  as  soon  as  it  turned  the  angle  of  the  road  at  a 
considerable  distance  from  the  house. 

At  length,  she  heard  the  rumble  of  wheels,  and  she 
knew  the  sound  of  those  wheels  almost  as  well  as  she 
knew  the  sound  of  her  husband's  footsteps.  The  ap- 
proaching vehicle  turned  the  angle  of  the  road,  and  she 
knew  the  outline  of  the  gig.  They  were  coming  at  last, 
and  to  such  a  pitch  of  excitement  had  she  wrought  her- 
self, that  she  could  almost  hear  the  pulsations  of  her 
heart  as  it  seemed  to  thump  violently  in  her  bosom. 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  gig,  and  she  could  at 
length  distinguish  her  husband  and  the  servant  man 
John ;  but  neither  of  the  young  folks  were  with  him, 
that  was  certain. 

"They  are  coming  afterwards  in  another  carriage," 
said  she  to  herself;  "but  it  is  strange  Hughes  did  not 
bring  them  with  him.  I  declare,  if  they  are  detained  in 
town  on  business,  I  shall  feel  quite  disappointed." 

The  gig  stopped  at  the  gate,  and  Mr.  Hughes  alighted 
from  it. 

"  A  delightful  evening,  dear  Mary,"  said  he,  as  he 
opened  the  gate  and  kissed  his  wife ;  "but  the  air  is  rather 
chilly,  my  love,  for  you  to  be  standing  here  without  your 
bonnet  and  shawl." 

"  What  have  you  done  with  Adolphus  and  Georgiana, 
my  dear  ?"  said  she,  unheeding  her  husband's  precau- 
tionary observations. 

"  With  whom,  Mary  ?" 

"With  Mr.  and  Miss  Fitzherbert,  dear?" 

"  What  are  you  speaking  of,  Mary  ?  I  don't  under- 
stand you." 

"  Have  you  not  seen  Georgiana  ?"  said  Mrs.  Hughes, 
in  amazement;  "  did  you  not  meet  the  carriage?  Has 
not  Adolphus  arrived?" 

''  Adolphus  arrived  !  seen  Miss  Fitzherbert !  met  the 
carriage  !"  repeated  Mr.  Hughes ;  "  why,  my  dear,  you 
are  dreaming.  Pray,  explain  yourself." 

"  Now,  Hughes,  you  shouldn't  joke,  when  you  see 
me  in  such  a  state  of  nervous  anxiety.  It's  cruel  of 


182  THE  LAWYER'S  STOKY;   OK, 

you,"  exclaimed  the  poor  woman  ;  "  you  know  how  anx 
ions  I   must  have  been  after  I  received  your  letter,  and 
sent  Georgian  a  to  meet  you  at  Lincoln's  Inn,  according 
to  your  request." 

"  My  dear  Mary,  for  Heaven's  sake,  do  cease  this  non- 
sense, and  tell  me  what  you  are  driving  at;  I  sent  you 
no  letter,  neither  have  I  seen  Miss  Fitzherbert  since 
breakfast  time  this  morning;  and,  as  to  poor  Adolphus, 
I  and  Mr. are  as  much  in  the  dark  as  ever." 

Mrs.  Hughes  stood  petrified  with  amazement.  She 
evidently  thought  her  husband  was  out  of  his  senses  ; 
but,  without  replying,  she  drew  from  her  pocket  the 
letter  she  had  received  in  the  morning,  and  placed  it  in 
his  hands. 

Mr.  Hughes  took  the  letter,  read  it,  and  stood  trans- 
fixed with  astonishment  and  dismay.  Tor  some  moments 
he  could  not  speak.  At  length  he  said : 

"  Mary,  this  letter  is  a  fac  simile  of  my  handwriting, 
hit  it  is  a  forgery ;  I  never  wrote  a  line  of  it.  Good 
God  !  to  what  means  will  these  people  resort.  I  see  it 
all  now;  those  who  have  made  away  with  Adolphus 
have  now  taken  this  plan  to  get  Georgiana  into  their 
power  ;  but  if  there  be  a  God  in  Heaven,  and  justice  to 
be  obtained  on  earth,  I  will  move  Heaven  and  earth  but 
they  shall  suffer  for  this — they  shall  swing  for  it.  Good 
God !  what  barefaced,  what  audacious  depravity.  Let 
us  go  in  doors,  Mary.  I  do  not  blame  you — my  confi- 
dential clerk  would  have  been  deceived  by  this  hand- 
writing— I  should  have  been  deceived  myself.  How- 
ever, matters  have  now  gone  too  far  to  be  borne  with 
any  longer.  The  whole  affair  must  be  made  public,  and 
the  police  must  be  actively  employed  in  ferreting  out 
and  bringing  to  punishment  the  actors  in  this  most  dam- 
nable conspiracy ;"  and  thus  speaking,  he  walked  with 
his  wife  into  the  house. 

The  evening  before  the  day  on  which  the  events  took 
place  which  are  above  recorded,  Mr.  Gripes  suddenly 
made  his  appearance  at  Alton  Castle,  and  requested  an 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  183 

interview  with  the  Earl  of  Shropshire,  which  was  granted1 
and  the  earl  and  the  lawyer  met  in  the  library. 

"  I  had  the  honor,  during  our  last  interview,  to  inform 
your  lordship,"  said  Gripes,  after  some  preliminary  con- 
versation, "  that  there  was  a  London  barrister  of  note 
concerned  in  this  business  relative  to  the  heirs  of  Fitz- 
herbert,  and  I  said  I  should  track  him  out.  I  have  done 
so,  my  lord.  The  person  is  Mr.  Hughes,  of  Lincoln's 
Inn,  whom  your  lordship  must  have  heard  of.  A  dan- 
gerous customer  to  come  into  collision  with  ;  yet,  one  who 
is  perfectly  unused  to  the  wiles  and  tricks  practised  in 
such  cases  as  this  in  which  I  have  the  honor  to  act  for 
your  lordship  (the  earl  scowled  fiercely  at  this  covert 
hint),  and  under  the  present  circumstances,  clever  law- 
yer, as  he  is,  he  may  find  himself  outwitted.  The  girl,  I 
have  learnt,  is  residing  with  him  and  his  wife  at  Clap- 
ham  Common,  and  I  have  had  some  conversation 
respecting  this  matter  with  that  fellow  Cheatem,  and  we 
have  so  managed  that  if  your  lordship  is  willing  to  ad- 
vance a  trifle — say  three  or  four  hundred  pounds — we 
can  get  her  taken  out  of  the  way,  as  cleverly  as  we 
managed  to  get  rid  of  the  boy.  This  done,  we  will  open 
the  suit — bring  it  before  the  court  (your  lordship's  in- 
fluence and  wealth  will  go  a  good  way  toward  this),  and 
then  a  verdict,  once  decidedly  given  in  our  favor,  we  may 
snap  our  fingers  at  any  future  attempts  that  may  be  madte 
to  contest  the  property.  What  does  your  lordship  think 
of  my  proposal  ?" 

"  i  would  have  no  objection,  Gripes,  of  course,  to  get 
the  girl  out  of  the  way,  provided  I  received  a  pledge 
that  no  mischief  should  befal  her;  but,  I  wish  to  remind 
you,  sir,  that  when  I  employed  you  and  your  partner, 
it  was  on  condition  that  my  name  should  not  be  men- 
tioned in  the  matter.  In  fact,  I  told  you  that  should  it 
fail,  you  must  be  prepared  wholly  to  bear  the  blame — 
altogether  exonerating  me,  as,  in  any  case,  you  will  be 
well  paid.  I  was  therefore,  much  surprised  to  hear  you 
make  use  of  the  expression  you  did  just  now,  when  you 
said  you  were  acting  for  me,  sir.  I  beg  you  to  under- 


L84  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;    OR, 

stand  that  you  are  acting  for  yourself;  and  now,  sir,  on 
the  conditions  I  have  mentioned,  viz. :  that  my  name  is 
not  mentioned  and  that  no  harm  befals  the  girl,  I  will 
give  you  a  check,  not  for  three  or  four  hundred,  but  for 
five  hundred  pounds — mind  you,  Gripes — to  aid  in  the 
prosecution  of  a  lawsuit,  in  which  you  are  engaged,  and  to 
carry  on  which,  you  have  sought  my  pecuniary  aid,  I 
being  unaware  of  its  nature ;  but  believing  it  to  be  just  and 
honorable" 

"  Exactly  so  my  lord ;  nothing  could  be  more  ex- 
plicit. Your  lordship  would,  had  your  condition  in 
life  been  a  more  humble  one,  have  made  an  excellent 
lawyer." 

"  As  to  law,  I  know  but  little  of  its  technicalities, 
Gripes,"  said  the  earl,  rather  pleased  with  the  compli- 
ment;" but  I  flatter  myself  that  I  have  considerable  skill 
in  the  art  of  diplomacy." 

The  earl  drew  a  check  on  Coutt's,  and  the  wily  law- 
yer returned  to  town  by  the  railroad  that  same  evening, 
and  immediately  sent  for  Cheatem,  who,  indeed,  was  on 
the  qui  vive  of  expectation,  to  hear  how  his  superior  in 
villainy  had  succeeded. 

"  Cheatem,"  said  Gripes,  when  the  two  worthies  met, 
"  so  far  all  is  satisfactory ;  but  the  earl  thought  the 
charge  rather  high.  I,  however,  got  a  check  for  two 
hundred  from  him.  One-half  of  that  sum  is  yours  to- 
morrow evening,  if  you  succeed,  and  the  remainder  will, 
perhaps,  suffice  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  girl's  journey, 
if  used  economically.  Be  very  careful  though,  how  you 
go  to  work.  It's  dangerous  ground  to  tread  upon,  and 
everything  must  be  so  arranged  as  to  admit  of  no  possibi- 
lity of  mishap,  or  it  had  better  be  left  alone  altogether." 

Cheatem  left,  expressing  his  confidence  in  his  ability 
to  carry  the  business  safely  through,  and  Gripes,  as  be 
took  from  his  pocket-book  the  £500  check,  exclaimed 
with  glee : 

«  Well,  I've  made  £300  clear  by  that  job ;"  but, 
changing  his  tone,  and  shaking  his  head,  as  he  paced  to 
and  fro  in  his  narrow  office,  "  it's  ticklish  ground  to 
stand  upon — very  ticklish  ground." 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  185 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Cheaiem  shows  Ills  practical  benevolence — A  clever  forgery 
and  a  slight  altercation  between  two  knaves. 

LET  the  reader  now  accompany  me  to  the  office  of 
Crawley  Cheatern,  Esquire,  solicitor  and  attorney  at  law 
Globe-street,  White  Chapel- road.  We  have  visited  this 
office  before,  and  its  general  aspect  is  not  sufficiently  en- 
ticing to  render  a  second  description  of  it  desirable. 

It  was  at  an  early  hour  of  the  day  on  which  Mrs. 
Hughes  received  the  forged  letter  which  led  to  the  ab- 
duction of  Georgian  a,  that  Cheatem  was  seated  in  his 
office  with  his  clerk  Wilkins,  who  looked  as  wretchedly 
poor  and  as  seedy  as  ever,  only,  as  the  facetious  expres- 
sion runs,  "a  little  more  so."  The  door  is  locked  and 
Cheatern  and  Wilkins  are  both  in  the  inner  office.  The 
latter  looks  as  if  he  had  been  up  all  night,  for  his  eye- 
lids are  heavy,  and  he  has  altogether  a  wretched  appear- 
ance. Under  the  table  at  which  he  is  seated  are  strewn 
a  number  of  sheets  of  letter  paper,  perhaps  two  or  three 
quires,  written  upon,  and  then,  apparently,  condemned ; 
several  other  sheets  are  lying  beside  him  on  the  table  on 
which  he  appears  to  have  tried  his  hand  with  like  ill 
success,  and  he  is  still  busy  copying  with  great  care  the 
peculiar  style  of  handwriting  of  a  law  record  which  lies 
before  him. 

Cheatem  takes  up  one  sheet  after  the  other  and  throws 
them  aside  impatiently.  At  length  he  examines  one 
more  narrowly  and  then  rises  and  compares  the  writing 
with  that  of  the  manuscript  before  the  clerk. 

"  That's  something  like  it,  Wilkins,"  says  he,  "  rather 
too  much  flourish  to  the  e'es  and  s's,  and  the  tails  of  the 
g's  and  y's  are  a  leetle  too  long.  There,  that's  famous," 


186  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

he  added,  as  the  clerk  laid  another  sheet  before  him. 
"  You've  got  the  way  of  it  now  ;  capital.  The  signature 
is  perfect.  Now  make  a  fair,  free  copy  of  that;  not  too 
carefully  written  you  know,  but  rather  as  if  you  were 
writing  in  haste,  and  your  £5  will  have  been  earned, 
and  I  fancy  you  will  consider  you've  made  a  good  night's 
work  of  it.  Now  let  me  ask  you  one  thing,  Wilkins ; 
don't  }TOU  find  your  mind  easier  now  that  you  have 
earned  five  pounds  by  your  own  skill  and  industry  than 
if  I  had  advanced  it  out  of  your  salary  as  you  requested 
me  to  cio?  You  see  you  can  now  get  your  wife  decently 
buried,  (Mumps  will  do  the  job  in  good  style  for  three 
pounds)  and  have  a  couple  of  sovereigns  to  spare  to  buy 
mourning  for  3'ourself  and  the  children.  Let  me  see, 
you've  six  children,  and  yourself  makes  seven.  Sevens 
into  forty  is  five  times  seven's  thirty-five  and  five  over; 
that'll  be  a  five  shilling  suit  for  each  of  the  children  and 
leave  ten  shillings  for  yourself.  Now,  when  the  letter 
is  sent  off,  you  can  take  the  rest  of  the  day  from  ten  till 
four  o'clock,  to  buy  your  mourning  and  get  your  wife 
buried,  provided  you  promise  to  be  back  punctually  at 
four,  as  I  shall  have  a  number  of  affidavits  for  you  to 
copy  this  evening ;  but  you  will  get  through,  if  you 
make  haste,  by  nine  o'clock,  and  then  you  can  go  home, 
as  you  have  been  up  all  night,  and  get  a  good  sleep,  and 
by-the-bye,  Wilkins,  Moses,  in  Houndsditch,  is  the 
place  I  should  advise  you  to  buy  your  mourning  at. 
Moses  will  lump  the  whole  lot,  and  furnish  you  with 
seven  good  respectable  suits  for  two  pounds.  How 
lucky  that  I  wanted  this  little  job  done,  Wilkins.  I  felt 
very  much  for  you  when  you  told  me  your  wife  was 
dead,  and  begged  me  to  advance  a  trifle  in  order  that 
you  might  bury  her  without  being  beholden  to  the  pa- 
rish; but  you  see  I  have  taken  an  oath  never  to  lend  or 
give,  or  even  advance  money — it's  a  bad  practice — leads 
to  improvidence  and  all  sorts  of  bad  habits;  but  my 
heart  bled  for  you,  Wilkins,  and  I  thought  to  myself, 
'  Can't  I  help  the  poor  fellow  any  way,  without  violating 
rny  conscience?'  and  then  I  thought  how  I  wanted  nfuc 


TIIE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  187 

rimile  of  Mr.  Hughes's  handwriting  and  signature,  and  I 
said,  '  Wilkins  is  the  man  that  can  do  the  job  if  any- 
body can,  and  it  will  be  a  God-send  to  him ;'  so  I  made 
up  my  mind  at  once.  Not  but  I  could  have  got  it  done 
cheaper — I  might  have  got  the  job  done  for  three  pound 
ten ;  and  according  to  my  business  principles  I  should 
by  rights  have  got  it  done  for  that — but  under  the  cir- 
cumstances I  stretched  a  point — and  if  i  have,  in  a  mea- 
sure, violated  my  oath  by  doing  so — why,  I  hope — con- 
sidering the  occasion,  I  shall  be  pardoned.  Now  fold  the 
letter  and  seal  it  neatly  and  direct  it  to  Mrs.  Hughes, 
Clapharn  Common.  There,  that'll  do,  and  there's  a  spick 
and  span  new  five  pound  note  for  you." 

Wilkins  took  the  note  in  his  hand  and  looked  wistfully 
at  it.  It  was  many  years,  poor  fellow,  since  he  had  had 
so  much  money  of  his  own,  and  yet  his  hand  trembled 
as  he  held  it  and  thought  how  he  had  earned  it. 

He  had  been  too  full  of  grief  for  the  loss  of  his  wife 
and  the  knowledge  that  he  could  not  even  watch  by  the 
side  of  her  who  had  for  years  uncomplainingly  shared 
liis  poverty  and  wretchednees,  in  consequence  of  the 
stern  exaction  of  his  attendance  at  the  office,  by  his  em- 
ployer, and  he  knew  too,  that  he  was  unfit  for  and  un- 
able to  obtain  other  employment,  and  if  he  was  .dis- 
charged, his  miserable  pittance  of  fifteen  shillings  a  week 
would  cease  and  his  children  would  starve,  while  by 
working  as  he  had  done,  all  night,  while  his  wife  lay 
dead  at  home,  he  could  at  least  pay  her  the  last  sad  duty 
of  respect  and  love  by  burying  her  at  his  own  expense, 
and  thus  avoiding  a  parish  funeral,  and  perhaps,  after- 
wards, the  dissecting-room ;  while  not  one  shilling  would 
his  employer  advance  for  this  purpose,  though  he  had 
begged  of  him,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  to  do  so.  He  had 
accepted  the  job,  unknowing,  unheeding  what  it  was, 
tmd  it  was  only  now  that  it  was  completed  that  he  felt 
the  full  sense  of  the  enormity  of  the  crime  that  he  had 
been  guilty  of. 

"  What  are  you  fumbling  the  paper  about  in  tha,t  way 
for?"  said  Cheatern,  who  sat  watching  the  motions  of  his 


188  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

clerk ;  "  one  would  think  you  had  never  felt  a  five-pun 
note  before.  Well,  they  do  feel  nice  and  crisp,  don't 
they  ?  What  on  earth  are  you  trembling  and  shaking 
about?" 

"  Mr.  Cheatera,"  replied  the  clerk,  "  for  God's  sake, 
sir,  take  back  the  money  and  allow  me  to  destroy  the 
letter  and  these  papers  that  I  have  been  writing-on.  I 
have  been  working  mechanically,  sir.  I  have  not  known 
what  I  was  doing.  It  is  only  now  that  I  feel  I  have  been 
committing  iorgery.  Good  cannot  come  of  it.  Better 
my  wife  be  buried  by  the  parish ;  better  my  children 
and  myself  perish  by  starvation  than  linger  on  a  wretched 
existence,  sustained  by  the  wages  of  crime." 

Mr.  Cheatem  turned  deadly  pale,  and  bit  his  lips  till 
the  blood  started. 

"  A  pretty — cunning — hypocrite — you  are,"  said  he, 
slowly,  through  his  clenched  teeth,  as  he  g<ized  at  his 
trembling  clerk,  with  the  fury  of  a  tiger  expressed  in  his 
small  twinkling  black  eyes.  "  You  have  been  commit- 
ting forgery,  eh  ?  /  know  you  have  my  fine  fellow,  and 
I  have  rny  grasp  upon  your  throat.  1  can  squeeze  you 
to  death — so,"  he  continued,  as  he  pressed  his  thumb 
hard  upon  the  table — "  I  can  hang  you.  See  here,"  ex- 
hibiting one  of  the  spoiled  sheets,  "  I  have  got  this  safe, 
as  a  proof.  Here  are  the  names,  in  your  hand-writing — 
'  George  Wilkins,'  '  Hughes  H.  Hughes,'  '  Hughes  H. 
Hughes,'  '  George  Wilkins' — so  on  to  the  bottom  of  the 
page,  and  the  last  signature  resembles  Mr.  Hughes  much 
more  than  the  first  one ;  don't  you  think  it  does  ?  My 
fine  fellow,  I  advise  you  to  burn  all  the  pieces  of  paper 
that  are  laying  about — every  scrap — but  this  letter  forged 
Uy  you.  I  will  send  to  its  destination,  and  this  proof  of 
your  skill  in  chirography,  /shall  keep  in  my  own  pos- 
session ;  and  you  had  better  keep  a  still  tongue  in  your 
head,  for  if  I  hear  one  whisper  respecting  this  last  night's 
work,  the  next  hour  will  find  you  under  lock  and  key 
in  Newgate.  This  is  the  return  you  make  for  the  cha- 
rity of  years ;  keeping  such  a  scarecrow  as  you  to  disgrace 
my  office,  and  paying  you  fifteen  shillings  a  week,  when, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  189 

in  fact,  you  are  not  worth  your  salt.  Take  my  advice, 
go  home,  bury  your  wife,  and  be  thankful  that  a  wretched 
thing  like  you  have  got  clear  of  the  expenses  of  keeping 
her,  and  pray  God  that  your  weazing  children  may  soon 
follow  her,  and  when  they  do,  don't  think  of  burying 
them,  but  sell  them  to  the  doctor.  He!  he!  he!"  and 
he  laughed  a  hideous  laugh,  "  that's  how  such  as  you 
should  dispose  of  your  dead  children  and  your  wives, 
too,  for  that  matter.  It's  the  only  way  they  can  ever 
become  profitable  to  you.  You  must  bury  your  wife  at 
your  own  expense,  forsooth  !  I've  no  patience  with  such 
pride.  Now,  my  fine  fellow,  take  that  money,  go  off, 
and  do  as  J  have  bid  you,  or  in  half  an  hour  you  will 
feel  ;i  policeman's  grip  at  your  throat,  and  your  puny 
children,  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  may,  perhaps,  get 
a  holiday  from  the  workhouse,  to  go  and  see  their  father 
hanged.  How  do  you  fancy  the  picture  I  have  drawn, 
eh  r 

\V  ilk  ins  took  the  note,  put  it  in  his  pocket  mechanic- 
ally— for  he  was  so  bowed  down  with  grief  that  he  knew 
not  what  he  was  doing,  and  he  dared  not  say  anything 
further  to  increase  the  anger  and  renew  the  taunts  of  his 
tyrant — then  he  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  his  miser- 
able dwelling. 

Cheatem  carefully  burned  every  scrap  of  the  loose 
paper  that  was  laying  about,  and  then  having  locked  the 
door  of  the  office,   he  put  the  key  in  his  pocket  and 
started  off  towards  the  city.     In  the  course  of  half-an- 
hour  he  entered  the  office  of  Mr.  Gripes,  who,  after  wish- 
ing him  good  morning,  thus  addressed  him: 
"  Well,  Cheatem,  have  you  been  successful  ?" 
Cheatem  triumphantly  placed  the  letter  he  had  re- 
ceived from  his  clerk  in  Gripes'  hands  and  bid  him  look 
at   he  superscription. 

"Capital,  upon  my  word,"  replied  he,  after  carefully 
oxamining  it.  "  Hughes's  hand-writing  to  a  T.  Whose 
handiwork  is  this?" 

<-My  clerk  Wilkins,"  replied  Cheatem.  "Nothing 
could  have  been  more  ajsropos  to  the  occasion.  You 


190  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

know  Wilkins  is  a  capital  hand  at  imitating  handwrit- 
ing; but  the  fool  pretends  to  be  conscientious,  and  I 
have  never  before  been  able  to  get  him  to  do  a  job  of 
this  kind  for  me ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  I  can't  turn 
him  away,  for,  in  the  first  place,  he  knows  too  much, 
and  then  I  only  pay  him  fifteen  shillings  a  week,  and  no- 
body else  would  work  as  he  does  for  twenty  shillings. 
Well,  on  Monday  evening,  when  he  reached  home,  he 
found  the  children  all  crying,  and  his  wife,  who  has  not 
been  about  since  the  last  child  was  born,  lying  dead  and 
cold  in  bed,  the  infant  screaming  on  the  bed  by  its  dead 
mother's  side.  The  next  morning  the  fellow  came  to 
me  with  a  long  face,  and  had  the  impudence  to  ask  me 
to  lend  him  five  pounds,  in  advance  of  his  salary,  in 
order  that  he  might  bury  his  wife ;  and  he  also  asked 
for  leave  to  remain  away  from  the  office  till  after  the 
funeral.  Of  course,  I  refused  him,  and  told  him  if  he 
was  not  punctual  to  his  duties,  to  the  minute,  as  usual,  I 
would  send  him  adrift,  to  starve  with  his  beggarly  chil- 
dren. I  can  always  humble  the  stupid  fool  by  telling 
him  that,  for  he  thinks  I  am  in  earnest.  He  doesn't 
know  the  service  he  is  to  me.  Shortly  afterwards,  you 
mentioned  this  scheme  to  me,  and  it  struck  me  directly 
that  Wilkins  was  the  man  to  do  it — and  now  was  the 
time  to  make  him  do  it.  So  I  called  him  into  my  pri- 
vate office,  and  set  him  to  work  to  imitate  the  specimen 
of  handwriting  you  procured  for  me  from  Hughes's  office, 
and  told  him  if  he  would  sit  up  all  night  until  he  could 
imitate  it  exactly,  and  freely,  I  would  give  him  the  five 
pounds  he  needed.  He  gladly  consented,  and  I  locked 
him  in  the  office  and  went  home.  This  morning  I  went 
to  the  office  early,  with  a  draft  of  the  letter  1  wanted 
written,  and  got  him  to  copy  that  repeatedly  until  he 
was  perfect  in  it ;  and  then,  before  he  was  aware  of  what 
he  was  doing,  I  made  him  add  Mr.  Hughes's  signature 
and  seal,  and  direct  the  letter.  "  When  he  had  finished 
it,  I  gave  him  the  five  pounds,  and  then  the  fool  began 
to  grumble  at  having  been  compelled  to  commit  forgery, 
as  he  called  it.  I  soon  quieted  him,  however,  by  a  little 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  191 

bullying  and  threatening,  and  after  sending  him  off  to 
bury  his  wife,  I  came  here.  I  shall  now  put  the  letter 
— if  you  will  return  it  to  me — in  the  post-office  near  Mr. 
Hughes's  place  of  business.  The  carriage  will  be  sent 
as  agreed  upon,  and  the  girl  will  be  in  Southampton  by 
three  o'clock  to-morrow  morning.  The  vessel  will  sail 
with  the  tide  at  daylight,  and  no  one  can  get  the  slightest 
cue  as  to  where  the  girl  has  gone.  You,  I  suppose,  have 
obtained  the  necessary  letters  for  the  captain  of  the  ship 
from  the  earl  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  have ;  but,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  am  some- 
what fearful  of  the  result  of  this  business.  Suppose 
Wilkins  should  blab?" 

"  He  dare  not.  I  should  charge  him  with  forgery,  and 
get  him  arrested  at  once." 

"  And  then  he  would  acknowledge  having  written  a 
letter  to  Mrs.  Hughes,  imitating,  at  your  request,  her 
husband's  handwriting,  and  forging  his  signature." 

"Who  would  believe  him,  if  he  did?  Besides,  1 
believe  the  fool  is  so  completely  cut  up,  in  consequence 
of  his  wife's  death,  that  he  scarcely  knows  what  he  has 
been  doing." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure  that  no  one  would  believe  him. 
At  all  events,  it  would  blow  up  the  whole  affair,  and 
make  a  pretty  expose.  You  would  have  to  make  your- 
self scarce  as  soon  as  you  could,  and  be  lucky  if  you  got 
off  at  all." 

"I  would?"  exclaimed  Cheatem,  with  his  sardonic 
smile  and  demon-like  expression  of  countenance  that 
usually  accompanied  it.  "I  would!  Well,  I  rather  like 
that;  it's  cool  and  refreshing.  I  would,  eh!  Well,  Mr. 
Gripes,  and  of  course  you  would  be  entirely  safe.  Your 
character  would  remain  unimpeachable,  under  any  cir- 
cumstances. Would  it?  Let  me  tell  you,  sir,  should 
any  difficulty  arise  through  this  last  business,  you  row 
in  the  same  boat,  chained  to  the  same* oar  with  me,  and 
if  I  mistake  not,  some  persons,  holding  a  very  lofty 
head,  will  bear  us  company." 

"  Cheatem,  I  have  had  nothing  to  do  with  forging 


192  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

that  letter.  I  merely  talked  the  subject  over  with  you, 
and  you  carried  it  out.  I  wash  my  hands  of  it  alto- 
gether, sir." 

"  And  pray,  who  procured  the  letters  from  the  earl, 
and  who  gave  you,  Mr.  Gripes — immaculate  as  you  are 
— two  hundred  pounds  you  say,  although  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  it  were  twice  that  amount,  to  carry  out  the 
project.  Answer  me  that/' 

"  As  to  the  letters  from  the  earl  that  you  speak  of, 
my  dear  Cheatem,  how  do  I  know  what  is  contained  in 
the  letters  a  nobleman,  high  in  rank,  gives  into  my  pos- 
session, to  transmit  for  him,  to  some  friends  abroad;  and 
as  to  the  two  hundred  pounds — upon  my  honor,  Cheatem, 
that  was  the  whole  amount — his  lordship  is  excessively 
stingy — I  have  given  him  an  acknoAvledgment  that  tho 
sum  is  a  loan,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  me  to  carry 
on  a  lawsuit  according  to  the  belief  of  his  lordship,  per- 
fectly honorable  in  its  nature." 

"  And  what  about  the  hundred  pounds  I  am  to  receive 
to-night  ?"  exclaimed  Cheatem. 

"  Why,  my  dear  fellow,  unless  you  choose  to  give  me 
just  such  an  acknowledgment  as  I  gave  the  earl,  my 
opinion  is,  that  you  won't  get  the  hundred  pounds,  nor 
yet  a  penny  towards  it ;  and  you  will  have  to  carry  the 
job  through  at  your  own  expense;  for  my  boy  has  put 
the  letter  you  showed  me  in  the  post-office  before  this,  and 
therefore  it  is  now  too  late  to  retract." 

"  Gripes,"  exclaimed  Cheatern,  "  upon  my  soul  you 
are  a  smart  fellow ;  you  are,  indeed !  You  have  out- 
witted me.  However,  it's  no  use  complaining,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  the  thing  will  succeed  famously.  As  soon 
as  the  carriage  arrives  with  the  girl  at  Phoenix  Tavern 
at  Knightsbridge,  where  the  post  boy  will  change  horses, 
I  will  see  him  fairly  started,  and  come  to  you  and  write 
the  acknowledgment,  and  receive  the  hundred  pounds. 
Then  •  I  will  call  at  my  office  and  set  Wilkins  three  or 
four  days  work,  to  keep  his  mind  fully  employed,  and 
leave  by  the  train  to-night  for  Southampton,  so  as  to 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  193 

arrange  matters,  and  see  the  girl  fairly  off  out  of  the 
country." 

"  That  is  talking  sensibly,  Cheatem.  You  see  you 
are*  in  my  power,  and  it  is  better  that  we  should  do 
things  in  a  friendly  manner.  When  the  girl  is  clear  of 
London  without  any  suspicion  having  been  aroused,  I 
will  pay  the  hundred  pounds ;  and  if  you  manage  mat- 
ters so  as  to  get  her  off  to  sea  without  exciting  suspi- 
cion, I  promise  to  give  you  twenty  pounds  more,  though 
I  should  have  to  pay  it  out  of  my  own  pocket.  Now, 
as  I  am  somewhat  busy  for  the  present,  I  wish  you  good 
day." 

The  two  rascals  then  parted,  Gripes  retiring  to  his 
private  office,  and  Cheatem  proceeding  to  put  his  plans 
into  operation. 


CHAPTEE  XIX. 

The  Convent  of  St.  Euphemia — The  Lady  Abbess  receives  a 
visitor,  who  does  not  appear  to  be  very  welcome. 

IN  a  lovely,  romantic  valley  a  few  miles  distant  from 
the  city  of  Turin,  in  Italy,  lying  a  furlong  or  more  off 
the  public  road,  and  closely  secluded  amidst  groves  of 
venerable  forest  trees,  whose  majestic  girth  and  wide- 
spreading  limbs  betoken  the  growth  of  centuries,  is 
situated  the  convent  of  Saint  Euphemia.  However  rigid 
may  be  the  mental  discipline  to  which  its  inmates  are 
subjected,  there  is  nothing  ascetic  in  its  outward  ap- 
pearance; for  even  the  somewhat  solemn  aspect  of  the 
stately  monastic  pile  of  buildings  of  which  it  is  com- 
posed is  strictly  in  keeping  with  the  wild  and  yet 
beautiful  scenery  by  which  it  is  surrounded,  and  the 
grounds  immediately  contiguous  to  the  convent  are 
laid  out  in  a  style  of  artistic  elegance  that  tli3  princely 
occupant  of  a  palace  might  well  envy,  for  nature  and 
art  have  both  done  their  utmost  to  embellish  the  spot. 
The  delicious  fruits  which  the  glorious  climate  and  fer- 
9 


194:  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

tile  soil  of  Italy  produce  in  such  abundance  hang  in 
tempting  festoons  from  hundreds  of  fruit  trees  of  the 
choicest  description,  and  the  soft  balmy  air  is  redolent 
with  the  perfume  of  flowers  ;  the  shade  afforded  by  the 
trees  tempers  the  heat  of  the  sun's  rays,  which  might 
otherwise  be  too  oppressive  in  a  country  where  for  the 
greater  portion  of  the  year  the  sky  is  without  a  cloud  ; 
and  from  amidst  the  thick  foliage  of  the  trees  is  heard 
from  morn  till  night  the  song  of  birds,  who  in  this  safe 
and  peaceful  retreat  have  built  their  nests  and  reared 
their  young  from  generation  to  generation,  and  who 
seem  as  though  they  sought  to  repay  the  hospitable  se- 
curity thus  afforded  them  with  the  sweetest  music  that 
can  enliven  the  solitude  and  enhance  the  charms  which 
nature  has  so  bountifully  lavished. 

The  visitor  to  this  lovely  place — and  though  few  are 
allowed  to  intrude  upon  the  sanctity  of  the  convent, 
most  travellers  visit  the  grounds — might  almost  fancy 
that  here  ilasselas  might  have  found  the  happiness  he 
sought  for  in  vain,  after  having  escaped  from  the  lovely 
gardens  of  the  Abyssinian  palace. 

Over  this  convent  presides  Sister  Anathasia,  or  the 
Countess  de  Tivoli,  the  sister-in-law  of  the  Earl  of  Shrop- 
shire, and  here  did  Lady  Mary  Alton  receive  her  early 
education  under  the  direction  of  Father  Anselmo,  who, 
as  I  have  heretofore  mentioned,  was  for  several  years 
chaplain  and  confessor  of  the  convent.  Well  might  the 
youthful  imagination  of  Lady  Mary  have  been  impressed 
with  the  beauty  and  repose  she  saw  around  her  here ; 
well  might  she  long,  after  having  passed  through  years 
of  mental  suffering,  to  return  and  pass  the  remainder  of 
her  life  in  this  peaceful  sylvan  retreat,  where,  to  outward 
appearance  at  least,  it  would  seem  impossible  that  the 
trials  and  troubles  incident  to  worldly  life  could  find 
admittance. 

The  Countess  de  Tivoli  was  the  second  daughter  of  the 
Prince  de  Tivoli,  upon  whose  estates  this  convent  and 
its  grounds  were  situated,  and  who  had  sold  it  to  the 
church  for  a  very  large  sum  of  money  with  the  condi 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  195 

tion,  that  a  member  of  his  family,  if  so  inclined,  should 
always  preside  over  it.  The  eldest  daughter  of  the 
prince  had  married  the  Earl  of  Shropshire,  and  on  the 
death  of  her  father — the  youngest  daughter  having  sig- 
nified her  intention  to  take  the  veil — had  succeeded  to 
the  paternal  estates,  from  which  the  earl  still  draws  a 
considerable  revenue. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  the  Countess  of  Shrop- 
shire died  while  Lady  Mary  was  quite  an  infant,  and 
it  was  in  consequence  of  this  sad  occurrence  that  she 
was  placed,  at  the  Countess  de  Tivoli's  request,  under 
her  care,  until  she  was  of  sufficient  age  to  receive  in- 
struction from  competent  teachers  at  her  father's  pater- 
nal mansion.  As  is  customary,  the  Countess  de  Tivoli 
had,  upon  assuming  the  veil,  taken  the  name  of  a  fa- 
vorite saint  by  which  name  she  was  always  spoken  of 
by  the  inmates  of  the  convent,  although  abroad  she 
was  still  known  by  the  title  which  she  inherited  through 
her  noble  birth. 

She  was,  although,  of  course,  a  strict  Catholic,  by  no 
means  bigoted  or  averse  to  cheerfulness,  and  as  she  was 
very  fond  of  her  little  niece  ;  the  natural  desire  peculiar 
to  woman  to  concentrate  her  love  on  one  darling  object, 
which  had  not  been  destroyed,  if  it  had  perhaps  been 
deadened  by  her  severe  mental  and  religious  training, 
being  apparent  in  the  mother's  care  she  bestowed  upon 
the  infant ;  who  thus  was  early  taught  to  love  her,  and 
deeply  as  she  sometimes  felt  the  cold  sternness  of  her 
father's  disposition,  in  after  life,  to  yearn,  in  secret,  for 
the  affection  she  so  well  remembered  as  having  been 
lavished  upon  her  when  a  child. 

The  elder  sister  of  the  Countess  de  Tivoli  had  been  re- 
markable for  her  beauty ;  but  such  was  not  the  case 
Avith  sister  Anathasia,  who  had  suffered  severely  from  the 
•small  pox  when  a  child,  and  the  fell  disease  had  left  its 
imprint  upon  her  features,  besides  otherwise  destroying 
their  symmetry.  I  would  not  wish  to  speak  disparag- 
ingly ;  but  perhaps  the  knowledge  that  she  possessed 
few  or  no  personal  attractions  and  was  therefore,  at  least 


196  'THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

until  she  was  intimately  known,  and  the  sweetness  of 
her  disposition  acknowledged,  little  calculated  to  win  the 
affections  of  the  gay  gallants  around  her,  was  the  pri- 
mary cause  of  her  having  resolved  to  devote  her  life 
to  the  service  of  religion.  To  this  determination  she 
found  no  obstacle  presented;  her  father  was  anxious 
that  the  convent  should  be  ruled  by  one  of  his  daughters, 
although  the  estate  had  passed  from  his  hands,  and  he 
was  riot  displeased  (according  to  rumor)  that  his  homely, 
and  while  young,  somewhat  sickly  child,  should  thus 
find  good  reason  to  absent  herself  from  the  gay  festivi- 
ties of  his  palace. 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  of  an  early  autumn  day; 
the  vespers  had  been  said  or  sung,  and  the  inhabitants 
of  this  little  community  had  retired  to  their  own  small, 
cell  like  apartments,  when  the  sound  of  wheels  was  heard 
and  a  carriage  drove  up  to  the  gate  of  the  convent  and 
the  bell  was  loudly  rung.  Sister  Anathasia  was  startled 
from  the  perusal  of  a  large  illuminated  missal  spread 
open  on  a  table  at  which  she  was  seated,  and  she  was 
advanced  to -the  door  of  her  apartment  with  the  inten- 
tion of  summoning  the  portress  and  inquiring  the  cause 
of  this  unexpected  and  unwonted  intrusion  at  that  late 
hour,  when  she  was  met  by  the  nun,  upon  whom,  in 
turn,  the  duty  of  portress  had  fallen,  who  informed  her 
that  two  ladies  were  below  who  had  arrived  in  the  com- 
pany of  a  gentleman  who  had  driven  off  in  the  carriage 
as  soon  as  she  had  answered  the  summons  of  the  bell. 

"Two  ladies!  who  can  they  be  who  seek  the  hospi- 
tality of  the  convent  at  this  late  hour,  sister  Bertha?" 
said  the  abbess. 

"  Indeed  !•  know  not,  my  lady,"  replied  the  nun ; 
"  but  the  elder  lady  bade  me  present  this  token  to  the 
lady  abbess." 

"Ah!"  said  the  Abbess,  taking  from  the  hands  of 
sister  Bertha  a  signet  ring  and  reading  the  inscription  on 
the  stone ;  "  De  Paoli !  strange  indeed  that  she  should 
visit  me,  and  in  this  guise.  This  however  is  a  token  that 
she  would  have  secrecy  observed  regarding  her  visit." 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  197 

These  latter  words  were  muttered  in  whispers  rather  than 
spoken ;  but  after  musing  for  a  few  moments,  the  abbess 
turned  to  the  portress  and  said  aloud :  "  Come  they  late 
or  early  we  must  not  be  deficient  in  the  rites  of  hospi- 
tality to  those  of  our  own  sex  and  our  holy  religion. 

Bertha,  show  the  Countess 1  mean  usher  the  ladies, 

into  my  presence. 

When  the  nun  had  retired  to  obey  this  order,  the  ab- 
bess paced  the  room  in  a  rapid,  impatient  manner,  which 
showed  that  however  she  might  desire  to  extend  the 
outward  semblance  of  hospitality,  she  was  by  no  means 
pleased  at  the  arrival  of  her  visitors. 

"  Who  can  it  be  that  has  come  with  the  Countess,"  she 
thought ;  "  it  cannot  surely  be  Maria ;  and  yet  something 
tells  rne  it  can  be  no  other  than  she.  Well,  sister  Maria 
is  welcome  back  to  St.  Euphemia,  albeit  that  she  is  bound 
in  thraldom  to  those  who  I  fear  me  are  by  their  own  zeal 
doing  injury  to  our  holy  faith ;  for  her  conscience  is  too 
pure,  if  she  still  remains  the  sister  Maria  of  former  days, 
to  permit  herself  calmly  to  do  evil  that  good  may  come 
therefrom.  But  the  countess;  stern,  haughty  and  repell- 
ing as  is  her  brother:  intrigue  follows  wherever  she 
plants  her  footsteps.  It  is  now  years  since  I  have  seen 
her,  and  I  had  hoped  when  she  married  de  Paoli  that  I 
had  seen  the  last  of  her;  but  I  must  assume  an  appear- 
ance of  composure.  I  must  not  betray  before  her,  the 
prejudice  I  feel;  besides,  it  would  be  churlish  not  to  bid 
her  welcome  after  so  long  an  absence." 

As  these  thoughts  crossed  her  mind,  the  lady  who  has 
been  already  introduced  to  my  readers  as  being  con- 
cerned in  the  futile  endeavor  to  carry  off  Georgiana  from, 
Philadelphia,  made  her  appearance,  and  accompanied  by- 
Maria,  who  it  will  be  recollected  wrote  the  letter  which 
planned  the  method  of  the  poor  girl's  escape. 

The  meeting  between  the  abbess  and  the  countess  was 
constrained,  notwithstanding  the  endeavor  of  both  to 
throw  as  much  warmth  and  cordiality  into  it  as  possible. 
But  sister  Maria's  reception  was  marked  by  a  kindness 
of  tone  and  a  friendly  solicitude  that  showed  the  abbess 


198  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

really  held  her  in  high  estimation,  although  she  dif- 
fered, as  we  have  seen,  from  some  of  her  peculiar  tenets. 

"  You  can  leave  us,  sister  Maria,"  said  the  Countess 
de  Paoli,  after  the  first  greetings  had  been  exchanged ; 
"  I  would  speak  to  the  Lady  Abbess  alone.  Perhaps 
her  ladyship  will  at  once  permit  you  to  go  to  your  dor- 
mitory, for  I  am  sure,  that  like  me,  you  must  be  fatigued 
with  the  travel  we  have  lately  undergone." 

Sister  Anathasia  desired  Bertha  to  conduct  the  newly 
arrived  visitor  to  her  sleeping  apartment,  and  as  soon  as 
the  two  nuns  had  quitted  the  room,  the  Countess  de  Pa- 
oli said — 

"  I  thank  you,  my  noble  sister,  that  you  so  well  recog- 
nized the  symbol  of  secrecy  I  sent  to  you  by  the  portress. 
I  have  reasons  wherefore  I  would  not  wish  it  to  be  known 
that  I  am  here  at  present,  and  after  I  have  made  certain 
disclosures  to  you,  I  must  beg  your  permission  imme- 
diately to  retire  from  the  convent,  as  I  have  business  of 
importance  on  hand,  which  must  be  attended  to  to-mor- 
row morning.  I  will,  however,  solicit  an  extension  of 
your  hospitality  for  sister  Maria,  who,  with  your  per- 
mission, will,  for  the  present,  remain  here.  I  can  place 
implicit  confidence  in  her  discretion. 

"  You  are  doubtless  astonished  at  receiving  a  visit  from 
me  after  so  long  an  absence,  and  at  this  untimely  hour; 
but  I  will  briefly  explain  the  cause. — Know  in  the  first 
place  that  the  business  on  which  I  have  come,  although 
unhappily  it  has  fallen  through,  closely  concerns  your 
noble  brother-in-law  and  my  brother — the  Earl  of  Shrop- 
shire. It  is  long  since  }7ou  have  seen  your  niece,  Lady 
Mary  Alton?" 

"  Long  since  !"  replied  the  abbess.  "  Yes,  it  is  long 
indeed  since  I  have  seen  her.  Years  and  years  ago, 
when  she  was  a  mere  child,  she  left  me  to  join  her  father 
in  England,  and  never  since  then  has  she  paid  me  a  visit, 
although  my  heurt  still  yearns  towards  her  as  that  of  a 
mother  to  an  absent  child." 

"  And  therefore  you  are  deeply  interested  in  her  wel- 
fare?" 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  199 

"  Deeply  so,  indeed  ;  more  deeply  so,  I  fear,  than  be- 
seems one  whose  affections  should  be  centred  on  things 
heavenly,  to  the  exclusion  of  aught  else ;  but  we  cannot 
cast  aside  at  pleasure,  the  weakness  of  our  frail  hu- 
manity." 

"  And  yet.  my  lady,  it  is  our  duty  to  do  so  at  the  bid- 
ding of  the  Church,  whose  authority  has  been  sanctioned 
by  Heaven.  We  must  heed  not  the  vain  affections  of 
the  flesh  where  duty  bids  us  throw  them  off,  even  though 
we,  in  our  weakness,  fancy  that  we  are  doing  that 
which  is  in  itself  evil.  We  must  recollect  always  that 
there  are  those  placed  over  us  in  saintly  authority  whose 
province  it  is  to  command  as  it  is  ours  to  obey.  You 
si^h ;  I  know  that  you  are  strangely  opposed  to  some  of 
the  stricter  principles  of  the  Order  to  which  I  arn  bound 
in  secular  obedience,  although  I  have  not  taken  upon 
myself  the  vows  of  its  holier,  loftier  duties.  '  Those  also 
serve  who  only  stand  and  wait/  and  it  is  necessary  that 
some,  while  they  bow  to  the  behests  of  the  church,  should 
mingle,  unsuspected,  amidst  the  busy  throng  of  the 
world.  However,  I  will  not  dwell  upon  this  subject. 
Your  nieces'  future  prospects  have  been  greatly  clouded 
for  some  years  past,  in  consequence  of  false  claimants 
having  risen  up  to  wrest  from  her  certain  property  she 
possesses,  and  which  (mark  this,  Sister  Anathasia)  she 
will  liberally  dispense  for  the  support  of  the  church. 
The  Earl  of  Shropshire  naturally  became  alarmed  at  the 
demonstrations  that  were  made  by  those  who  urged  these 
parties  on  to  this  foul  scbeme,  and  he  sought  my  assist- 
ance, promising,  should  I  be  successful,  to  bestow  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  estate  contiguous  to  this  convent, 
on  the  church.  I  sought  counsel  from  those  who  are 
bound  to  advise  as  I  am  to  obey,  and  received  their  sanc- 
tion 10  use  my  utmost  influence  to  put  a  stop  to  the  ini- 
quitous proceedings.  With  this  object  in  view,  a  search 
for  certain  parties  in  America  was  commenced ;  these 
parties  being  ignorant  themselves  of  the  part  they  were 
called  upon  to  play  ;  but  their  acquiescence  being  neces- 
sary to  carry  out  the  intentions  of  Lady  Mary's  enemies. 
They  were  found — a  boy  and  a  girl — and  since  it  was 


200  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

necessary  for  the  prosecution  of  the  scheme  that  they 
should  together  visit  England,  it  was  determined  10 
secure  the  girl  and  bring  her  hither,  where,  by  kind 
treatment,  and  a  judicious  course  of  proceeding,  mingled 
with  threats,  provided  she  should  continue  to  hanker  after 
the  evil  advice  of  those  who  are  seeking  to  lead  her 
astray,  it  was  hoped  that  she  might  be  induced,  even- 
tually, to  take  the  veil,  and  thus  hiding  herself  from  the 
world,  effectually  to  baffle  the  evil-minded  men  who 
would  lead  her  to  assist  in  the  committal  of  this  evil. 
Not  only  would  Lady  Mary  thus  be  rescued  from  the 
difficulties  which  threaten  her,  but  a  soul  would  be 
rescued  from  the  schisms  of  heresy  and  received  into  the 
bosom  of  Mother  Church.  All  was  arranged,  and  the 
Count  de  Paoli  and  I,  accompanied  by  Sister  Maria,  who 
had  been  deputed  to  act  under  our  orders  in  this  matter, 
had  succeeded  in  discovering  the  girl,  and  had  taken 
passage  for  Trieste,  with  a  view  of  bringing  her  hither 
to  be  placed  under  your  instruction  and  control.  But, 
alas  for  the  vanity  of  earthly  endeavors !  when  we 
thought  that  we  had  succeeded,  and  the  vessel  had  ac- 
tually left  the  port  of  Philadelphia,  the  girl  was  missing. 
How,  no  one  knows ;  for  she  was  brought  on  board  but 
a  few  minutes  before,  under  the  eye  of  Sister  Maria. 
Whether  any  accident  has  befallen  her,  or  whether  she 
has  been  decoyed  away  from  the  vessel  at  the  very  mo- 
ment of  her  departure  from  the  wharf,  we  are  ignorant; 
enough  for  us  to  know  that  our  plans  have,  for  the  pre- 
sent, failed,  and  all  has  to  be  done  over  again." 

"  And  in  what  degree  am  I  concerned  in  this  misad- 
venture ?"  said  the  abbess. 

"  Only,"  replied  the  countess,  "inasmuch,  that  believ- 
ing you  would  be  inclined  to  aid  us  (should  the  girl  be 
still  alive,  and  again  fall  into  our  power)  when  once  you 
were  made  aware  of  the  nature  of  the  case  and  the  danger 
which  threatens  your  niece,  I  thought  it  advisible  to 
make  the  disclosure  to  you,  in  order  to  prepare  you  for 
any  event  that  may  happen." 

"  Even  now,  I  am  ignorant  of  the  real  facts  respecting 
\ny  niece,"  replied  the  abbess. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  201 

"  And  the  details  are  too  long  and  too  complicated 
for  me  to  define  them  in  this  brief  interview,"  said 
the  countess.  "  Jt  is  enough  that  I  tell  you  1  have  your 
brother-in-law's  sanction,  and  the  higher  sanction  oif  mj 
Superiors,  to  ask  you  to  receive  the  girl  in  the  convent, 
should  she  again  fall  into  our  power ;  for  we  suspect  that 
she  is  still  living,  and  that  treachery  has  been  employed 
to  effect  her  escape." 

"  If  it  be  as  you  say,  I  will  do  my  best  to  convince  the 
child  of  the  heavy  guilt  of  her  course,  and  the  evil  that 
must  eventually  grow  out  of  it." 

"  And  should  she  be  delivered  into  your  charge,  you 
will  retain  her  here,  at  least  until  you  are  satisfied  that 
my  suspicions  are  unfounded." 

"  I  know  not  that  I  have  a  right  even  to  do  this ;  but 
I  will  use  my  utmost  powers  of  persuasion  to  induce  her 
willingly  to  comply  with  my  desires." 

"  It  is  enough.     I  will  now  bid  you  farewell." 

"  Not  surely  at  this  late  hour ;  it  is  near  the  stroke  of 
midnight.  It  would  not  be  seemly  or  safe  to  quit  the 
convent  alone  at  this  hour." 

"  Be  not  alarmed,  my  dear  Lady  Abbess.  My  husband 
awaits  me  without,  with  a  carriage,  in  which  we  will 
return  to  Turin,  whence  we  came  this  evening.  It  is  but 
four  days  since  we  landed  at  Trieste.  I  will  thank  you 
to  order  sister  Bertha  to  let  me  out  secretly,  and  will 
leave  Sister  Maria,  for  the  present,  with  you.  Sister 
Anathasia,  I  bid  you  farewell." 

She  left  the  chamber  of  the  abbess,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
the  latter  heard  the  sound  of  carriage  wheels,  which  gra- 
dually died  away  in  the  distance. 

The  abbess  then  retired  to  her  couch,  much  troubled  in 
mind  at  the  promise  she  had  been  by  such  plausible  argu- 
ment, led  to  make,  for  she  was  not  at  all  satisfied  of  the 
truth  of  all  she  had  heard.  The  reader  has  already  seen 
that  she  mistrusted  the  Countess  de  Paoli;  "but,"  said 
she,  as  she  laid  her  head  upon  her  pillow,  "  I  will  speak 
to  sister  Maria  upon  the  subject  to-morrow." 

9* 


202  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Cheatem  appears  in  a  new  phase  of  villany — An  elopement, 
but  not  to  Gretna  Green. 

WE  now  return  to  the  abduction  of  Miss  Fitzherbert, 
spoken  of  in  a  former  chapter. 

As  the  carriage  in  which  Georgiana  was  seated  drove 
rapidly  towards  the  city,  the  young  girl  gave  herself  up 
to  a  delightful  reverie,  occasioned  by  the  anticipated 
meeting  with  her  brother.  "  Where  had  he  been  ;  what 
had  he  been  doing,  and  what  had  now  brought  him  back?" 
were  questions  which  she  revolved  in  her  own  mind, 
and  then  she  answered  them  triumphantly  by  thinking 
— "but  I  shall  soon  hear  all  from  his  own  lips" — and  so 
the  time  passed  away  until  the  post-chaise  stopped  to 
change  horses  at  Knightsbridge ;  when,  ignorant  as  she 
was  of  London  localities,  and  busy  as  were  her  thoughts, 
she  still  was  surprised  at  the  idea  of  changing  horses, 
when  she  knew  that  it  was  but  eight  miles  from  Mr. 
Hughes's  residence  at  Clapham  to  his  office  in  London. 

Somewhat  alarmed,  she  opened  the  door  of  the  chaise, 
and  was  about  to  put  some  questions  to  the  postboy, 
when  she  was  accosted  by  a  rather  elderly  gentleman, 
with  hair  as  white  as  driven  snow,  which  gave  him  a 
venerable  appearance,  that  his  weasel-like  features  at 
the  same  time  did  their  best  to  belie. 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  the  gentleman,  who  was  no  other 
than  our  friend  Cheatem,  disguised  in  a  white  wig,  and 
a  decent  suit  of  black  clothes,  instead  of  his  own  red  hair 
arid  well-worn  suit  of  rusty,  seedy  cloth,  from  which  the 
original  dye  had  well  nigh  faded ;  "  pardon  me,  miss ; 
may  I  ask  if  I  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Miss  Fitzher- 
bert?" 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  203 

"My  name  is  Fitzherbert,  sir,"  said  Georgiana,  not 
half  liking  the  appearance  of  the  interrogator,  notwith- 
standing his  made-up  respectability. 

"  I  am  happy  to  make  your  acquaintance,  miss.  I  am 
deputed  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Hughes  to  inform  you  that 
your  brother  Adolphus  has  been  unexpectedly  detained 
at  Southampton,  and  he  has  gone  there  to  meet  him. 
He  could  not  wait  to  see  you,  but  he  requested  me  to 
escort  you  thither,  as  you  will  perceive  when  you  have 
read  this  letter." 

He  presented  her  a  note,  written  in  the  handwriting 
of  Mr.  Hughes,  which  ran  as  follows : 

"  Miss  Fitzherbert  will  excuse  my  having  failed  to 
meet  her  as  1  have  promised  in  the  note  I  sent  to  Clap- 
ham  this  morning  ;  but  the  unexpected  detention  of  her 
brother  at  Southampton  has  induced  me  to  hasten 
thither  without  losing  a  moment's  time.  I  have  re- 
quested Mr.  Wilson,  a  particular  friend,  to  whose  care 
Miss  F.  may  safely  confide  herself,  to  accompany  her  to 
Southampton,  at  which  place  her  brother  and  I  will  meet 
her.  I  have  sent  a  note  to  Mrs.  Hughes,  apprising  her 
of  this  change  in  my  intentions. 

"  HUGHES  H.  HUGHES. 

"Lincoln's  Inn— 3  P.  M." 

The  perusal  of  this  note  at  once  quieted  the  misgiv- 
ings that  had  already  began  to  fill  the  mind  of  Georgiana 
with  apprehension.  Nevertheless,  she  could  not  but 
think  the  proceedings  rather  strange.  "  Why,"  thought 
she,  "did  the  carriage  stop  here  instead  of  proceeding 
to  Mr.  Ilughes's  office,  at  Lincoln's  Inn  ?  and  why  should 
lie  have  sent  a  friend  to  meet  me  at  the  stage  office, 
instead  of  requesting  him  to  meet  rne  at  his  own  cham- 
bers?" Still,  the  note,  in  connection  with  that  which 
had  been  received  by  Mrs.  Hughes  in  the  morning, 
plainly  showed  that  all  was  right.  However,  she  could 
not  help  putting  the  questions  to  her  companion  de 


204  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

voyage,  who  had  already  ensconced  himself  in  the  post- 
chaise  by  her  side. 

"  My  dear  Miss,"  replied  Cheatem,  alias  Wilson,  "  it 
will  be  necessary  for  us  to  change  horses  several  times 
in  the  course  of  the  journey,  and  this  is  the  first  post- 
house,  and  the  one  nearest  to  Lincoln's  Inn.  In  meeting 
you  here,  I  have  saved  much  delay,  and  as  Mr.  Hughes 
has  the  start  of  us  he  wished  me  to  save  as  much  time 
as  possible." 

(They  were  full  two  miles  distant  from  Lincoln's  Inn, 
and  quite  in  a  contrary  direction  from  Clapham  ;  but 
that,  of  course,  Miss  Fitzherbert  was  entirely  ignorant  of, 
as  she  knew  nothing  of  the  localities  of  London.) 

"  I  wish  I  had  only  known  that  before  I  left  Clapham," 
she  replied,  "  and  then  I  would  have  made  preparations 
for  a  longer  journey,  for  I  am  really  now  quite  unpre- 
pared with  any  change  of  clothing." 

"  It  must,  of  course,  be  a  source  of  annoyance  to  a  lady 
to  undertake  a  journey  at  so  short  a  warning,"  replied 
Cheatem,  "  but  it  will  scarcely  be  twenty-four  hours 
before  you  are  back  again  in  London  with  your  brother 
and  Mr.  Hughes ;  therefore,  I  trust  you  will  experience 
little  inconvenience." 

"  At  any  rate,  I  must  make  the  best  of  any  I  may 
experience,"  replied  Georgiana,  gaily,  and  she  really  felt 
not  a  little  girlish  delight  at  the  thought  of  such  a  singu- 
lar and  unexpected  escapade.  "  When  shall  we  arrive 
at  Southampton  ?"  continued  she,  after  some  moments 
silence. 

"  I  should  imagine  about  three  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning,"  replied  her  companion. 

"And  shall  we  have  to  travel  all  night?  that  will,  in- 
deed, be  something  new, .to  me  here,"  and  then  a  shade 
of  melancholy  crossed  her  countenance  as  she  thought 
how  once  before  she  had  made  a  midnight  journey  in 
the  United  States,  under  widely  different  circumstances  ; 
"  then,"  she  thought,  "  I  did  meet  my  brother,  at  last, 
though  I  thought  I  was  going  away  from  him  for  ever : 
I  am  now  going  purposely  to  meet  him,"  and  she  fell 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  205 

into  a  train  of  thought,  superinduced  by  the  reflections 
she  had  made,  until  about  nine  o'clock,  when  the  post- 
chaise  stopped  at  an  hotel  at  Windsor,  where  she  was 
aroused  from  her  reverie  by  her  companion  asking  her 
if  she  would  now  alight  and  take  some  supper,  before 
they  proceeded  on  the  next  stage  of  their  journey. 

This  she  was  glad  to  do,  for  she  had  fasted  since  break- 
fast time,  the  excitement  of  her  mind  preventing  her  until 
now  from  feeling  inclined  to  eat ;  but  now  she  felt  really 
hungry.  Having  dispatched  a  hasty  and  plain,  but  sub- 
stantial meal,  Cheatem  and  his  unconscious  victim  again 
entered  the  post-chaise,  and  the  rascally  lawyer,  having 
partaken  at  the  hotel,  of  two  or  three  glasses  of  whisky 
punch,  was  soon  sound  asleep. 

Not  so,  however,  his  companion.  The  novelty  of 
her  situation,  and  the  many  strange  thoughts  that  came 
crowding  into  her  mind  as  the  post-chaise  rolled  rapidly 
and  smoothly  along  the  road,  kept  her  awake  through- 
out the  whole  night ;  nor  did  she  experience  the  least 
sense  of  weariness  ;  for  the  road  from  Windsor  to  South- 
ampton passes  through  some  of  the  finest  scenery  in 
England,  and  towns  and  populous  villages  are  thickiy 
interspersed.  The  night  was  moonlight,  and,  altogether, 
to  Georgiana  the  journey  was  scarcely  less  delightful 
than  it  was  novel.  At  length,  about  half-past  three 
o'clock,  when  the  dawn  of  day  had  just  began  to  show 
symptoms  of  its  approach,  she  caught  from  the  summit 
of  a  rising  ground,  over  which  the  post-chaise  was  pass- 
ing, a  distant  view  of  the  fine  harbor  of  Southampton 
and  the  sea  beyond,  apparently  smooth  and  glistening 
as  a  polished  mirror,  and  reflecting  on  its  surface  the 
golden  tints  of  the  sun  which  had  just  shown  its  rim 
above  the  horizon.  A  turn  in  the  road  shut  out  the  bril- 
liant picture  from  view,  and  in  twenty  minutes  more  they 
filtered  Southampton,  just  as  Cheatem  had  awoke  from 
his  long  nap. 

The  post-chaise  stopped  at  the  hotel. 

"  This  is  Southampton,  I  do  believe,"  said  Cheatem, 


206  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

who  was  rubbing  his  eyes  and  arranging  his  clothing, 
being  as  yet  but  half  awake. 

"Southampton,  sir,"  said  the  postboy,  opening  the 
door,  and  touching  his  hat,  "  Please  to  remember  the 
postboy,  your  honor." 

Cheatem  placed  a  sovereign  in  the  man's  hand. 

''  You  have  driven  famously,  my  good  fellow,"  said 
he,  "  and  managed  matters  very  well.  There  is  a  sove- 
reign, over  and  above  your  bargain.'' 

"Thank  your  honor,  and  when  you  want  another 
little  job  like  this  done,  I'rn  on  hand.  You'll  remem- 
ber Jack  Horton,  your  honor." 

"  Aye,  aye,  my  man,"  replied  Cheatem,  as  after  this 
confab  with  the  postboy,  which  had  taken  place  on  the 
steps  of  the  hotel,  he  assisted  Georgiana  to  alight. 

"  A  runaway  match,  I'll  be  bound,"  said  the  post 
boy,  as  he  looked  on  at  some  little  distance:  "but  the 
bridegroom  be  a  kveer  old  'un,  for  sitch  a  jolly  young 
bride.  'Puzzles  me  as  they  did'nt  make  headvay  to 
Gretna ;  my  osses  knows  every  inch  o'  that  road : 
Howsomever  may  hap  it  be  safer  to  place  salt  vater 
atween  them  and  the  young  'uns  dadd,  who'se  sure  to  be 
arter  heron  the  old  Gretna  road.  I  guess  this  be  a  new 
dodge." 

"Are  my  brother  and  Mr.  Hughes  here?"  exclaimed 
Georgiana,  as  she  ascended  the  steps  in  front  of  the  en- 
trance to  the  hotel. 

"  I  do  not  see  them,"  replied  Cheatem  :  "  but  I  will 
conduct  you  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  then  endeavor  to 
find  them  out:  May  be,  they  are  expecting  us  at  some 
other  hotel." 

He  led  Georgiana  into  the  ladies  waiting-room,  and 
having  ordered  a  cup  of  coffee  to  be  brought  to  her,  re- 
quested her  to  wait  his  return  with  her  brother  and  Mr. 
Hughes. 

In  a  few  moments  he  returned,  saying  that  he  had 
been  informed  that  Mr.  Hughes  had  gone  on  board  a 
brig  lying  in  the  harbor,  on  board  of  which  was  Adol- 
phus,  who  had  been  on  a  sea  voyage,  and  he  proposed 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WROXGS.  207 

that  they  they  should  hire  a  boat  and  go  on  board  and 
surprise  them  ;  "unless,"  he  added,  "you  are  too  tired, 
Miss  Fitzherbert  ?" 

"  Not  at  all,"  she  replied,  "  indeed,  I  should  like  it 
above  all  things.  The  harbor  looked  so  calm  and 
beautiful  as  we  came  over  the  hill  just  before  we 
entered  the  town,  and  Adolphus  will  be  so  surprised." 

''  You  are  quite  a  heroine,  Miss  Fitzherbert,  I  declare," 
said  Cheatem,  with  an  affectation  of  gallantry,  as  they 
sallied  from  the  hotel  and  walked  towards  the  beach, 
where  a  number  of  boats  were  waiting  to  be  hired. 

"Boat!  yer  honor — boat!  lady — a  fine  morning  for 
a  row  in  the  bay,"  was  the  salutation  from  twenty  voices 
as  they  drew  near. 

"  We  wish  to  be  put  on  board  that  Italian  brig," 
said  Cheatem,  addressing  one  of  the  boatmen. 

"All  right,  sir,"  said  the  man  addressed;  "capital 
boat  mine,  sir.  Have  you  on  board  in  less  than  five 
minutes.  Easy,  sir;  take  care  how  you  step  along, the 
plank — so — that's  well.  Now,  my  pretty  young  lady, 
let  an  old  sailor  carry  you  across  the  plank,  and  sit  you 
down  beside  your  father,  or  else  may  be  you'll  wet  your 
pretty  feet.  There,  don't  be  frightened ;  lor  bless  you ! 
I've  got  darters  at  home  older  nor  you,  and  Jim  Crispo's 
never  the  man  to  see  a  lady  inconvenienced  when  his 
strong  arm  can  perwent  it." 

Having  been  safely  placed  in  the  boat,  the  sturdy  old 
sailor  bent  to  his  oars  and  in  a  few  moments  they  were 
alongside  the  brig.  One  of  the  crew  assisted  the  young 
lady  up  the  side,  followed  by  Cheatem,  who,  when  he 
had  seen  her  safely  landed  on  the  deck,  and  exchanged 
signals  with  a  middle  aged  female  who  was  on  board, 
jmmediatety,  somewhat  to  the  surprise  of  the  boatman, 
again  descended  into  the  boat  and  desired  him  to  pull 
ashore.  At  the  same  moment  the  order  was  given  on 
/>oard  the  brig  in  Italian,  to  "  brace  for'ard  the  main 
yard  ;"  for  the  main  yard  had  been  backed,  to  allow  of 
the  approach  of  the  boat,  and  the  vessel  glided  swiftly 
out  of  the  bay  before  a  light  favorable  breeze. 


208  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OK, 

There  was  a  scream  of  hopeless  agony  and  despair 
heard  from  on  board  the  vessel,  and  then  the  distance 
was  too  great  to  hear  more.  The  breeze  had  separated 
the  brig  far  apart  from  the  boat.  The  boatman  ap- 
peared bewildered. 

"Pull  ashore,  my  man,"  said  Cheatem. 

"  Well,  this  be  a  strange  how  d'ye  do,"  said  the  old 
seaman,  scratching  his  head,  "blow  me  if  I  know  what 
to  make  on  it." 

"  The  poor  girl  is  insane,"  replied  Cheatem,  "  she  has 
been  for  some  time  under  my  care,  and  now  her  parents 
wish  her  to  return  to  them,  in  hopes  that  the  climate  of 
Italy,  where  t}  y  are  at  present  residing,  may  be  bene- 
ficial to  her.  IShe  has  become  so  attached  to  me,  that  it 
was  necessary  to  employ  this  little  ruse  to  get  her  off 
quietly.  Poor  child !  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  that  the 
change  of  air  and  scenery  does  her  good  ;  but  I  fear  her 
case  is  incurable." 

"  Only  to  think  on't,"  said  the  boatman,  as  he  bent  to 
his  oars,  "  such  a  sweet,  pretty  young  lady  to  be  mad, 
and  she  so  mild  and  gentle  spoken,  too.  Her  father  and 
mother  are  to  be  pitied,  poor  things,  as  much  as  she  her- 
self. Do  you  know,  sir,  I  tho't  as  how  you  were  her 
father  at  first,  tho'  to  tell  the  truth  on't,  there  be'ant 
much  resemblance  between  you ;  but  you,  I  s'pose,  be 
a  mad  doctor  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  good  fellow,"  replied  Cheatem. 

"You  must  see  a  powerful  heap  o'  orful  sights,"  said 
the  sailor,  as  the  boat  grounded  on  the  beach  and 
Cheatem  stepped  on  shore.  "  Good-day,  your  honor, 
and  thankee,"  added  the  boatman,  as  Cheatem,  in  high 
glee  at  his  success,  handed  him  half  a  crown,  over  and 
above  his  fare. 

The  sailor  went  home  to  tell  his  good  fortune  to  his 
wife  and  family,  pondering  however,  as  he  strolled  care- 
lessly along,  on  the  supposed  sad  malady  of  the  hapless 
lady,  and  Cheatem  hastened  back  to  London,  where  he 
speedily  sought  out  his  friend  Gripes,  showed  satisfactory 
proof  of  the  success  of  his  adventure,  and  received  the 
promised  reward. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  209 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Another  Visitor  to  the  Convent  of  St.  Euphemia — The 
Abbess  takes  charge  of  a  Novice,  ivliom  she  believes  belter 
fitted  for  a  Lunatic  Asylum. 

SOME  months  after  the  events  had  transpired,  which 
are  recorded  in  the  foregoing  chapter,  a  carriage,  with 
the  windows  and  blinds  closely  drawn,  drove  up  the 
avenue  to  the  convent  of  Saint  Euphemia,  heretofore 
described  ;  the  hall  bell  was  rung  and  the  portress  ad- 
mitted two  females,  the  elder  of  whom  demanded  an 
audience  of  the  Lady  Abbess. 

This  was  granted  and  she  was  shown  into  an  ante- 
chamber, where  she  was  met  by  sister  Anathasia,  having 
left  her  younger  companion  in  the  great  hall  of  the  con- 
vent, in  charge  of  the  portress. 

The  young  female  did  not  appear  to  be  more  than 
twenty  years  of  age,  and  it  was  evident  some  secret  sor- 
row was  preying  upon  her  mind,  for  she  sighed  deeply 
at  times  and  held  her  head  bowed  down  upon  her  breast ; 
but  she  was  so  closely  veiled  that  the  portress,  though 
not  a  little  curious  as  became  her  sex,  even  in  a  convent, 
could  not  obtain  a  glimpse  of  her  features. 

The  portress  made  one  or  two  attempts  to  draw  the 
lady  into  conversation,  and  to  ascertain  the  nature  of 
the  business  on  which  she  and  her  companion  had  visited 
the  convent ;  but  receiving  only  evasive  and  brief  re- 
plies, she  soon  tired  of  her  scrutiny,  and  with  a  slight 
toss  of  the  head,  indicating  insulted  dignity,  she  set  her- 
self to  work  again  at  the  sewing  she  was  employed  upon 
while  engaged  in  the  almost  sinecure  duty  of  portress, 
for  the  visits  to  the  convent  were  rare. 

Leaving  the  sister  and  the  youthful  visitor,  each  to 


210  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

the  enjoyment  of  their  own  thoughts,  since  no  conversa- 
tion appears  likely  to  ensue,  we  will  follow  the  elderly 
female  into  the  presence  of  the  abbess. — 

''  I  have  the  honor,"  said  she,  in  Italian,  "  to  see  the 
Lady  Abbess?"  as  the  Countess  de  Tivoli  entered  the 
room. 

"  I  am  Sister  Anathasia,  whose  humble  duty  it  is  to 
preside  over  the  convent  of  Saint  Euphemia,"  was  the 
reply. 

"  Your  ladyship  some  time  since  received  a  visit  from 
the  Countess  de  Paoli,  who  mentioned  to  you  some  in- 
cidents relative  to  a  young  female,  who  had  been  in- 
veigled by  some  designing  persons  into  fraudulently  re- 
presenting herself  as  the  heiress  of  a  certain  property  of 
immense  rental,  which  belongs  to  your  niece,  Lady  Mary 
Alton,  or  rather  I  should  say,  which  will  be  hers  on  the 
event  of  her  marriage  ?" 

"  I  did  receive  a  visit  from  the  Countess  de  Paoli ;  it 
must  be  three  months  since,  and  she  mentioned  some- 
thing of  this  kind  to  me ;  although  I  do  not  recollect 
that  she  made  any  allusion  to  the  marriage  of  my  niece. 
If  I  understood  her  aright,  the  property  she  spoke  of  as 
sought  to  be  despoiled  by  fraudulent  parties,  belonged 
to  my  niepe  in  her  own  right." 

"  The  countess  was  mistaken,  signora,  or  probably  she 
was  not  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  merits  of  the 
case.  The  property  of  right  belongs  to  Lord  Henry 
Fitzherbert ;  but  there  is  a  lien  upon  it,  which  will  pre- 
vent his  taking  possession,  unless  he  likewise  marries 
the  lady  Mary." 

"  There  must  be  some  singular  misconception  some- 
where," replied  the  abbess,  "  Lady  Mary  Alton  has  re- 
peatedly written  to  me  stating  her  desire  to  devote  the 
remainder  of  her  days  to  a  religious  life,  within  the  walls 
of  this  peaceful  convent,  and  has  asserted  frequently  that 
she  had  given  up  all  idea  of  marriage,  since  she  expe- 
rienced a  blight  of  her  youthful  affections  years  ago." 

"Circumstances  have  since  occurred,  my  lady,  to 
alter  her  intentions ;  but  the  purpose  for  which  I  have 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  211 

now  sought  an  interview  is  to  inform  you  that  the 
young  female  of  whom  the  countess  spoke  is  now  in 
attendance  in  the  hall,  and  it  is  the  wish  of  those  most 
deeply  interested  in  your  niece's  welfare  and  happi 
ness  that  she  should  be  detained  here,  at  least  until 
your  ladyship  hears  further  from  the  Earl  of  Shrop- 
shire, or  the  Countess  de  Paoli.  The  mind  of  this 
young  woman,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  much  shattered, 
arid  she  talks  strangely  of  matters  which  have  no  founda- 
tion save  in  her  own  excited  fancy.  It  is  no  doubt  for 
this  reason  she  has  been  chosen  as  the  dupe  of  design- 
ing men  to  carry  out  their  infamous  plot  as  regards 
your  niece.  Her  absence,  and  their  ignorance  of  her 
place  of  seclusion,  will  thwart  the  designs  of  those  un- 
principled persons  and  in  due  time  her  mind  may  re- 
gain its  balance,  and  she  may  be  induced  to  take  the 
veil  or  she  may  be  released  from  durance;  in  the  former 
case,  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  will  liberally  reimburse  the 
convent  for  the  extra  charge  incurred :  in  the  latter,  his 
lordship  will  supply  the  young  woman  with  means  to 
earn  her  future  living  in  her  own  proper  station  of  life." 

"  I  know  not  by  what  right  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  or 
the  Countess  de  Paoli  assume  the  control  of  this  con- 
vent," said  the  abbess,  somewhat  haughtily,  "  nor  for 
what  reason  I  should  be  placed  in  the  position  of  a 
keeper  over  one,  who,  according  to  your  own  admission, 
is  the  more  fitting  occupant  of  a  lunatic  asylum,  than  a 
religious  house ;  nor  do  I  knqw  who  you  are  who  make 
these  propositions  to  me." 

"  Will  your  ladyship  be  pleased  to  read  this  letter?1' 
was  the  reply  of  the  stranger,  who  was  perfectly  un- 
moved at  the  wrath  of  the  superior  of  the  convent. 

"  The  Countess  de  Tivoli  took  the  letter  and  exam- 
ined the  seal,  which  bore  the  crest  of  the  Earl  of  Shrop- 
shire, she  then  tore  open  the  envelope,  and  read  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"  Dear  sister,  by  the  holy  lies  of  religion,  as  well  as 
by  those  of  consanguinity,  I  herewith  introduce  to  your 


212  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

notice,  Louisa  Tirozzi — a  lay  sister  of  the  Holy  Order  of 
Jesus — one  in  whom  every  trust  and  confidence  may  b  : 
placed,  and  one  highly  respected  by  rny  sister,  tli •• 
Countess  de  Paoli.  She  brings  with  her  an  unhappy 
young  woman,  of  whom,  as  de  Paoli  has  informed  me, 
you  have  already  heard ;  one  whom,  on  account  of  he:1 
sad  mental  affliction,  has  been  deemed  by  my  personal 
enemies,  as  well  as  the  enemies  of  our  mutual  Holy  Faith, 
a  fitting  instrument  to  carry  out  a  scheme  of  fraud  of  the 
most  atrocious  nature,  of  which,  you  sister,  in  your  peace- 
ful and  happy  seclusion,  and  in  your  ignorance  of  the 
vice  and  wickedness  'of  the  world,  can  form  no  concep- 
tion. 1  have  succeeded  in  rescuing  the  unfortunate  young 
woman  out  of  the  hands  of  those  wicked  and  designing 
men,  and  think  it  advisable  as  well  for  her  own  sake  as  for 
the  welfare  of  my  daughter,  your  niece,  that  she  should, 
for  the  present,  be  removed  from  the  country.  Perhaps 
in  the  peaceful  and  happy  solitude  of  the  convent  of 
Saint  Euphemia,  she  may  in  time  recover  the  tone  of  her 
mind,  and  you  will  not  only  benefit  an  unfortunate  girl, 
but  likewise  serve  your  niece,  Lady  Mary,  by  receiving 
her.  I  need  not  say  that  I  will  gladly  pay  any  expenses 
that  may  be  incurred  on  the  poor  girl's  account,  as  I  con- 
sider her  merely  the  unwilling  dupe  of  others,  who  alone 
are  really  guilty.  The  girl  is  an  American,  and  has  been 
schooled  to  pass  herself  off  under  the  name  of  Fitzherbert, 
and  is  given  to  talk  wildly  of  a  brother  she  calls  Adol- 
phus,  and  of  other  strange,  matters  which  have  existence 
only  in  her  own  imagination.  Is  it  not  strange  how 
easily  insane  persons  are  trained  to  follow  a  course  of 
systematic  deceit?  Yet  it  is  easily  accounted  for:  for 
the  frailty  of  their  minds  leads  them  to  identify  them- 
selves with  any  fable  they  have  been  schooled  in. 

"  Lady  Mary  Alton  sends  her  love  to  her  beloved 
aunt,  and  were  it  not  that  circumstances  have  occurred 
which  have  led  her  to  alter  her  mind  as  regards  the  in- 
tentions of  years,  she  would  wish  to  pass  the  latter  part 
of  her  life  as  she  passed  the  earliest,  happiest  days  of 
her  youth  in  the  peaceful  convent  of  St.  Euphemia, 


THE   ORrilAN's  WRONGS.  213 

under  the  guardianship  of  the  aunt  she  has  never  ceased 
to  remember  with  feelings  of  earnest  affection.  She  will 
shortly  write  and  fully  explain  that  which  I  have  only 
hinted  at — the  cause  of  her  having  changed  her  mind. 

"  Trusting  that  your  ladyship  may  long  preside  ovet 
the  convent  which  has  so  thriven  beneath  your  happy 
rule,  and  that  you  will  lend  your  assistance  to  your 
niece  in  this  present  difficulty,  I  sign  myself,  with 
feelings  of  the  deepest  respect,  your  unworthy  brother- 
in-law,  SHROPSHIRE." 

Having  finished  the  perusal  of  this  letter,  Sister 
Anathasia  mused  for  some  moments.  "  There  surely 
can  be  nothing  wrong,"  she  thought  to  herself,  "in 
carrying  out  the  request  of  my  sister's  brother,  for  the 
sake  of  my  beloved  niece.  Indeed,  if  it  be,  as  it  is 
stated — and  why  should  I  think  otherwise? — it  will  be 
an  act  of  charity  to  a  poor,  unfortunate  of  my  own  sex, 
who  may  thus,  by  my  influence  be  rescued  from  the 
vortex  of  crime,  towards  which  evil-minded  men  are 
guiding  her.  Yet,  it  is  strange,  this  alteration  of  pur- 
pose on  the  part  of  my  niece !  and  singular  that  she 
has  not  addressed  me  a  line!  However,  I  will  receive 
and  duly  care  for  the  unhappy  girl."  Then,  turning  to 
the  female  who  had  been  introduced  through  the  letter 
as  Louisa  Tirozzi,  she  said : 

"  Pardon  me  for  a  sharpness  of  tone  and  a  suspicion 
which  ill  becomes  any  one,  and  least  of  all,  one  in  my 
position.  I  will  receive  the  young  person  my  brother- 
in-law  has  sent  me.  Perhaps  you  had  better  call  her 
up  stairs  and  I  will  see  her  at  once." 

"  My  Lady  Abbess,"  replied  the  female,  "  the  Earl 
of  Shropshire,  and  my  lady  the  Countess  of  Paoli,  will 
be  laid  under  deep  obligations  to  you  for  this  conde- 
scension on  your  part,  but  perhaps  it  \\ould  be  as  well 
that  I  should  quit  the  convent  without  seeing  the  poor 
child;  for  she,  like  most  unfortunates  in  her  situa- 
tion, has  her  peculiar  antipathies,  and  is  most  violent 
when  I  am  present.  For  some  days  past  she  has  become 


214  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

subdued  in  temper,  for  I  have,  with  some  difficulty,  at 
last  taught  her  that  resistance   would  be  useless;  but 
seeing  me  in  the  presence  of  a  stranger,  may  cause  a  re 
newal  of  her  paroxysms." 

"  Be  it  so  then.  You  can  retire  and  tell  those  who 
have  employed  you,  that  I  will  do  my  best  to  aid  them 
in  all  that  my  conscience  tells  me  is  right,  and  I  will 
see  the  young  woman  alone.  She  is  harmless  I  hope  ?" 

"Perfectly  harmless,  my  Lady  Abbess.  It  is  only  in 
unmeaning  words  and  fancies  that  her  malady  finds  vent, 
and  she  thinks,  poor  girl,  that  I  am  one  of  those  who 
have  wronged  her  and  torn  her  away  from  the  brother 
and  friends  she  fancies  she  possesses." 

"But  I  thought  the  Countess  de  Paoli  said  she  had  a 
brother.  If  I  mistake  not,  she  spoke  of  two  dupes  in  this 
concerted  viilany — a  boy  and  a  girl." 

"  She  has  a  brother,  my  Lady  Abbess,  but  he  is  an 
American,  and  she  fancies  that  he  came  to  England  with 
her,  and  has  been  decoyed  away  or  murdered.'' 

"  Poor,  unhappy  child !:'  replied  the  abbess. 

"  Then,  now  I  will  bid  your  ladyship  farewell,"  said 
the  woman  ;  and  as  she  turned  to  quit  the  apartment,  she 
added :  "  Peace  be  with  this  holy  house  of  religion." 

"  Peace  be  with  you,"  replied  sister  Anathasia ;  and  as 
soon  as  her  visitor  had  quitted  the  convent,  she  sent  for 
the  unfortunate  girl. 

Before  proceeding  further  with  my  narrative,  I  may 
as  well  state  that  the  woman  Tirozzi,  as  the  reader  has 
probably  already  surmised,  was  the  female  who  had  ap- 
peared on  the  deck  of  the  Italian  brig  when  Cheatem 
had  carried  his  victim  on  board,  and  who  had  been 
charged  to  take  care  of  Georgiana  on  her  passage,  and  to 
see  her  safe  into  the  convent,  by  Cheatem.  She  was 
a  woman  capable  of  the  committal  of  any  atrocity,  and 
possessed  sufficient  intelligence,  cunning  and  audacity 
to  enable  her  to  carry  through  almost  any  scheme  she 
took  in  hand.  She  had  been  previously  employed  in 
Italy  and  in  England,  by  the  Countess  de  Paoli,  who 
was  a  Jesuitical  intriguante  of  the  most  skillful  and  de 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  215 

termined  character ;  and  she  had  recommended  this 
woman,  then  in  London,  to  the  earl,  who  had  mentioned 
her  to  Gripes,  who,  in  his  turn,  had  spoken  of  her  to  his 
fac  totem,  Cheatem ;  and  when  the  latter  had  determined 
upon  his  plan,  he  had  visited  and  arranged  matters  with 
the  woman  Tirozzi,  and  sent  her  on  board  an  Italian 
brig,  then,  about  sailing  from  the  St.  Catherine's  Dock, 
London,  for  Italy,  and  which  was  to  touch,  on  her  way- 
down  channel,  at  Southampton.  When  Georgiana  found 
herself  entrapped  on  board  the  brig,  she  felt  all  her 
courage  fail  her,  and  considered  herself  as  lost  forever  to 
her  friends.  She  gave  one  piercing  shriek  of  agony, 
and  then  fell  fainting  on  the  deck.  She  was  conveyed 
to  the  cabin,  under  the  direction  of  Tirozzi,  by  the  cap- 
tain's orders,  he  having  been  given  to  understand  by 
Cheatem,  before  he  left  London,  that  he  was  to  receive 
on  board  his  vessel,  at  Southampton,  a  young  lady  from 
a  lunatic  asylum,  who  was  to  be  taken  to  her  friends  at 
Turin. 

When  Georgiana  came  to  herself,  she  found  Tirozzi 
watching  by  her  side  ;  and  as  soon  as  she  saw  the  poor 
girl's  eyes  open,  she  addressed  her  in  broken  English, 
desiring  her  not  to  be  alarmed,  for  she  would  be  well 
treated  and  taken  care  of.  It  was  in  vain  she  sought  to 
discover  whither  she  was  being  carried  to,  or  what  was 
in  store  for  her,  and  she  was  reduced  to  the  necessity 
of  waiting  patiently  and  in  silent  agony  until  matters 
explained  themselves.  She  endeavored  to  interest  the 
captain,  who  seemed  a  good-natured  man,  in  her  behalf; 
and  one  day,  when  Tirozzi  was  asleep  in  the  cabin,  she 
forced  herself  into  conversation  with-  him,  and  began  to 
tell  him  the  story  of  her  woes ;  but  he  spoke  and  under- 
stood but  little  English,  and  although  he  listened  good 
humoredly,  and,  as  the  poor  girl  hoped,  interestedly,  she 
had  the  mortification  of  seeing  him,  after  she  had  con- 
cluded her  pathetic  narrative,  turn  to  his  mate,  when  he 
thought  she  did  not  observe  him,  and  place  his  finger 
significantly  upon  his  forehead,  while  at  the  same  time 


216  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

his  lips  forced  themselves  into  a  smile,  in  which  pity  and 
irony  were  blended. 

The  truth  then  flashed  upon  the  unhappy  girl. 

"  They  believe  that  I  am  mad,"  she  thought  to  herself; 
"  I  can  no  longer  bear  this  wrong,  in  patience;"  and  she 
sought  the  cabin  of  Tirozzi,  where  she  gave  vent  to  a 
torrent  of  indignant  reproaches.  The  heartless,  infamou? 
woman  used  this  occasion  to  her  own  advantage,  and  she 
subsequently,  in  many  little  unseen  ways,  so  annoyed 
her  charge,  that  she  almost  tortured  her  into  real  mad- 
ness— nay,  sometimes  Georgiana  thought  to  herself,  "  can 
it  be  possible  that  I  am  insane — that  my  past  life  has 
been  a  dream  1  If  this  be  so,  why  should  I  care  to  live  1 
Death  would  be  a  relief  to  me.  Oh,  God !  relieve  me  of 
this  horrible  doubt — deliver  me  from  my  oppressors,  or 
take  me  to  thyself!"  and  she  would  press  her  fevered 
hands  to  her  aching  forehead. 

In  due  time,  after  a  favorable  passage,  the  vessel  ar- 
rived at  her  port  of  destination,  and  Tirozzi  hastened 
with  her  charge  to  the  convent,  carrying  with  her,  as 
we  have  seen,  a  letter  from  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  to  the 
abbess,  his  sister-in-law. 

Georgiana  had  by  this  time  become  completely  sub- 
dued, as  Tirozzi  said  to  the  abbess,  and  she  followed  the 
bidding  of  her  keeper  without  an  outward  murmur. 
Her  agony  had  reached  and  passed  its  climax,  and  now 
she  thought  any  change  of  scene  from  the  dirty,  close, 
crowded  little  vessel,  which  would  again  allow  her  to 
breathe  the  pure  air  of  heaven  were  preferable.  Thus, 
in  the  company  of  Tirozzi,  she  arrived  at  the  convent. 
As  I  mentioned  above,  the  abbess  (after  Tirozzi  had 
quitted  the  convent,  having  successfully  completed  her 
share  of  the  work)  sent  for  Georgiana,  who  immediately 
answered  the  summons. 

"  Do  you  speak  Italian,  my  poor  child?"  said  the  ab- 
bess, speaking  in  that  language. 

Georgiana  shook  her  head. 

''  Then,"  continued  the  abbess,  "  I  must  speak  to  you 
in  such  English  as  I  can  string  together.  Poor  child," 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  217 

she  added  in  Italian,  after  pitifully  contemplating  her 
for  a  few  moments,  "so  young,  so  gentle-looking,  and 
so  pretty  !  and  to  be  afflicted  with  so  frightful  a  malady." 
Then  she  again  spoke  in  English — "  What  is  your  name, 
my  poor  girl  ?" 

"  Georgiana  Fitzherbert,"  signora. 

The  abbess  smiled  mournfully,  and  shook  her  head. 

"Shall  you  be  happy  here,  think  you,  Georgiana?" 
she  continued. 

"  Indeed,  signora,"  said  Miss  Fitzherbert,  reassured  by 
the  kindly  tones  and  benevolent  countenance  of  her  in- 
terrogator, "  I  shall  be  happier  if  I  stay  here  than  if  I 
were  to  be  again  placed  under  the  charge  of  that  bad, 
deceitful  woman  who  received  me  on  board  the  ship  in 
which  I  was  conveyed  from  England;  but  I  cannot 
know  happiness  until  I  hear  of  my  brother,  and  know 
his  fate;  and  until  I  am  again  icstored  to  my  friends." 

"  Poor  child !  poor  child !"  sighed  the  kind-hearted 
abbess,  "  what  I  have  heard  respecting  her  insanity  is 
indeed  too  true."  Then  she  added — "  if  you  think  you 
would  be  happier  with  me,  my  daughter,  you  may  stay 
here,  and  perhaps  by  and  by  you  may  learn  to  be  really 
happy  in  this  place.  Now  go,  my  child,  take  some  food 
and  refreshment  after  your  weary  journey,  and,  if  you 
feel  tired,  retire  to  rest." 

And  summoning  one  of  the  sisters,  she  placed  the  poor 
girl  in  her  charge,  after  having  exchanged  some  whis- 
pered conversation. 

"  You  look  kind  and  your  words  are  gentle  in  their 
tone,  signora,"  said  Georgiana,  as  she  was  about  to  leave 
the  room  with  the  sister,  "  tell  me  then,  why  and  for 
what  purpose  I  have  been  brought  hither — and  shall  I 
again  be  placed  under  the  charge  of  Signora  Tirozzi  ?" 

"  I  cannot  now  reply  to  your  first  question,  my  daugh- 
ter," said  the  abbess,  sadly;  "as  to  the  second  one,  Sig- 
nora Tirozzi  has  left  the  convent  and  left  you  behind, 
under  my  care,  so  you  may  rest  easy  as  regards  her." 

"  Thank  heaven  for  that  mercy,"  said  Georgiana,  as  in 
10 


218  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

charge  of  the  attendant  sister,  she  left  the  room,  and  re- 
tired to  the  confectionary. 

The  reader  will  recollect  that  in  a  former  chapter  it 
was  mentioned  that  sister  Maria  was  an  inmate  of  the 
convent,  having  been  left  there  by  the  Countess  de  Pa- 
oli  on  the  occasion  of  her  visit  to  the  Abbess. — Georgian  a 
had  been  but  a  few  days  in  the  convent  when  she  recog- 
nized sister  Maria,  as  the  female  who  had  procured  her 
liberation  from  the  machinations  of  her  enemies  at  Phi- 
ladelphia. The  recognition  took  place  in  the  chapel 
during  the  solemnization  of  the  morning  orisons,  and 
was  mutual.  Georgiana  could  scarcely  express  an  ex- 
clamation of  delight,  but  Maria  placed  her  fingers  to  her 
lips  and  made  signs  to  her  to  be  silent.  In  the  course 
of  the  day,  however,  she  found  means  to  enter  into  con- 
versation with  her,  and  Georgiana  related  all  that  had 
befallen  her  since  their  last  interview. 

In  sister  Maria  she  found  a  listener  who  gave  her 
ready  credence ;  but  she  advised  her  to  be  patient  and 
things  would  work  together  for  her  release,  and  especially 
to  cultivate  the  favor  of  the  abbess,  who  thus  would  be 
led  to  converse  with  her,  and  perhaps,  by  and  by,  would 
begin  to  doubt  the  truth  of  her  alleged  insanity,  (for  it 
had  been  hinted  abroad  through  the  convent,  that  the 
new  novice  was  insane)  and  then  sister  Anathasia  would 
listen  with  interest  to  her  story  ;  "  and  she  is  too  good  a 
lady,"  added  sister  Maria,  "  to  willingly  connive  at  any 
unjust  proceedings.  As  for  myself  I  dare  not,  for  rea- 
sons that  I  cannot  explain  to  you  (but  which  bind  me  by 
a  solemn  vow)  openly  do  anything  in  your  behalf;  but 
the  time  may  arrive  when  I  may  be  of  service  to  you, 
and  now,  my  dear  girl,  go,  and  do  not  be  seen  too 
anxiously  to  seek  my  companionship.  When  /  see  a 
good  opportunity  we  will  converse  together." 

Some  weeks  passed  away  and  Georgiana  followed  the 
advice  she  had  received  and  had  already  begun  to  at- 
tract the  favorable  notice  of  the  kind-hearted  abbess, 
who  still  had  no  doubt  of  her  pupil's  insanity,  but  who 
began  to  flatter  herself  that  her  teachings  and  her  gentle 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  219 

usage  would  eventually  completely  eradicate  the  malady; 
but  with  all  the  kindness  with  which  she  was  treated, 
these  weeks  seemed  years  in  length  to  Georgiana,  who 
brooded  despondingly  over  her  heavy  and  complicated 
misfortunes. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

A  party  visit  the  Convent — The  unexpected  meeting  of  the 
Brother  and  Sister — Georgiana  is  released  from  the  Con- 
vent— Matters  look  badly  for  the  Conspirators. 

IN  the  course  of  a  week  from  the  introduction  of 
Adolphus  to  his  newly-found  aunt  and  cousin,  related  in 
a  preceding  chapter,  the  party  returned  to  Naples, 
Adolphus  had  written,  as  I  believe  I  have  already  stated, 
to  his  friends  in  England,  and  had  told  them,  and  myself 
among  the  number,  to  direct  his  letters  to  Paris,  where 
he  might  find  them  on  his  arrival  at  that  city  on  his  way 
to  England. 

After  quitting  Naples,  the  party  proceeded  to  Rome, 
and  thence  to  various  other  Italian  cities  of  note.  At 
length  they  arrived  at  Turin,  where  Mrs.  Lyman  deter- 
mined to  remain  for  a  few  days,  as  she  was  expecting  to 
receive  letters  from  America,  which  she  had  directed  to 
be  addressed  to  her  there. 

The  scenery  around  the  city  of  Turin  is  remarkably 
beautiful,  and  the  young  folks  of  the  party  rode  out 
every  morning  in  the  environs  of  the  city. 

"  What  a  paradise  of  a  spot  is  that,"  said  Juliet,  one 
morning  to  her  two  cousins,  as  they  passed  by  the 
grounds  of  the  Convent  of  St.  Euphemia.  "  What  place 
can  it  be,  I  wonder?  See,  you  can  just  perceive,  em- 
bowered amidst  the  thick  foliage  of  yonder  clumps  of 
trees,  the  roof  of  some  large  building,  and  now,  through 
the  opening  we  have  just  reached,  I  can  discern  the  up- 
per windows  of  a  large  mansion.  I  should  like  to  know 
who  resides  there.  It  must  be  the  palace  of  some  Italian 


220  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

prince  or  nobleman  of  rank"  and  wealth.  See,  Adolphus 
and  Eobert,"  (addressing  her  cousins,)  "see  the  deer 
bounding  to  and  fro  upon  the  smooth  lawns ;  and  look 
there,  Anna,  (turning  to  her  English  friend,)  is  not  that 
a  noble  buck  that  is  now  staring  so  boldly  at  our  caval- 
cade. I  must  find  out  who  lives  there,  in  order  that  I 
may  jot  it  down  in  my  note-book." 

"  Blot  it  down  in  your  note-book,  you  should  have 
said,  Juliet,"  exclaimed  her  cousin  Eobert,  laughingly  ; 
"  for  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  your  note-book,  as  you  call 
it,  the  other  day,  and  upon  my  honor,  it  put  me  in  mind 
of  the  remarks  of  somebody,  I  forget  whom,  upon  the 
hand- writing  of  Lord  Byron.  He  said  it  looked  for  all 
the  world  as  though  a  drunken  spider  had  fallen  into  an 
ink  bottle,  and  then,  after  getting  out,  soaked  with  the 
dark  fluid,  had  staggered  over  the  paper." 

"  What  a  very  ungallant  speech,  Robert.  I  am  sure 
Adolphus  would  never  have  been  guilty  of  such  an  un- 
just criticism.  I  assure  you  I  take  great  pride  in  my 
note- book." 

"  And  what  may  you  intend  to  make  out  of  it,  my  fair 
cousin;  do  you  intend  to  publish  '  Notes  of  Travel,  by 
an  American  Lady,'  a  la  Trollope,  after  you  get  back  to 
the  wild  lands  of  Virginia  ?" 

"  No,  sir,  I  do  not ;  and  as  to  those  wild  lands  of  Vir- 
ginia, which  you  speak  so  disparingly  of  at  times,  I  as- 
sure you  neither  Italy  or  England  have  more  glorious 
scenery  to  boast  of  than  may  there  be  found.  Now,  to 
make  amends  for  your  rudeness,  just  leap  that  low  fence 
and  penetrate  into  the  grounds  until  you  meet  some  one 
of  the  domestics,  and  inquire  for  me  to  whom  this  lovely 
place  belongs." 

"  And  get  a  bullet,  or  an  inch  of  cold  steel  into  my 
body  for  my  pains.  No,  my  fair  cousin,  I  have  no  fancy 
for  trespassing  on  Italian  grounds." 

"  Well,  I  declare !  you  are  indeed  excessively  polite 
this  morning.  If  I  had  asked  Adolphus,  he  would  have 
had  his  horse  over  the  fence  in  a  moment.  I  would,  ask 
him,  only  he  has  ridden  on  ahead  with  Anna." 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  221 

"OTi!  to  be  sure,  Adolphus  is  everything  in  your 
eyes,  Juliet ;  only  he  doesn't  happen  to  be  in  the  way 
when  he  is  wanted  to  make  these  gallant  demonstra- 
tions. However,  I  will  for  once  oblige  you,  so  here 
goes." 

Just,  however,  as  the  young  man  was  reining  back 
his  horse  to  prepare  for  the  leap,  a  peasant  passed  on  his 
way  to  market  in  the  city,  and  to  him  Juliet  preferred 
her  request,  asking  him  if  he  knew  to  whom  that  man- 
sion and  those  beautiful  grounds  belonged.. 

"  That  is  the  convent  of  Saint  Euphemia,  signorina" 
replied  the  man,  "  and  the  grounds  you  are  admiring 
belong  to  the  convent." 

"  The  convent  of  St.  Euphemia  I  oh  I  I  should  so  like 
to  see  a  convent.  Can  we  not  gain  admittance,  at  least 
to  the  grounds?" 

"  Si  Signorina,  if  you  prefer  your  request  beforehand 
to  the  lady  abbess,  you  can  visit  the  grounds,  and  also  a 
portion  of  the  convent." 

"  Then  I  declare  I  shall  make  it  a  point  for  aunt  to  do 
so  this  very  day  ;  and  to-morrow  we  will  all  go ;  will  it 
not  be  delightful  to  visit  a  convent,  and  that  convent  a 
real  Italian  one  ?"  continued  the  lively  girl. 

"I  hope  you  don't  mean  to  take  the  veil,"  replied  her 
cousin  ;  "  because  sooner  than  you  should  be  reduced  to 
that  sad  extremity,  I  would  myself  beg  your  acceptance 
of  my  hand." 

"  Indeed,  sir !  Well,  suppose,  upon  second  thoughts, 
I  should  '  think  the  veil'  itself  preferable  to  such  a  dire 
extremity.  Upon  my  word,  Robert,  you  are  unendur- 
able this  morning.  I  shall  ride  forward  and  join  Adol- 
phus and  Anna."  And  she  put  her  pony  into  a  canter, 
and  joined  her  female  companion. 

On  the  return  of  the  party,  the  proposition  to  visit 
the  convent  was  made  by  Juliet,  and  it  being  warmly 
seconded  by  all  the  rest,  permission  was  sought  from 
the  abbess,  and  politely  granted.  The  entire  party  had 
permission  to  see  the  grounds  and  certain  portions  of  the 


222  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

convent,  and  the  ladies  were  informed  that  they  might 
see  the  whole  of  the  interior. 

On  the  following  day  they  accordingly  visited  the 
place,  and  greatly  admired  the  beauty  of  the  grounds, 
and  the  admirable  cultivation  of  the  gardens. 

While  the  gentlemen  amused  themselves  by  examin- 
ing the  horticultural  treasures  of  the  place,  the  ladies 
were  hospitably  received  by  the  Lady  Abbess,  and  shown 
the  mysteries  of  the  interior  of  the  convent. 

"Prayer  is  just  about  .to  commence  in  the  chapel," 
said  the  abbess,  after  having  shown  them  over  the  suites 
of  apartments.  "  You  can  either  amuse  yourselves  for 
half  an  hour  in  the  library  until  I  return,  or,  if  you 
choose,  you  can  follow  me  into  the  chapel." 

"  Oh,  let  us  see  the  nuns  at  their  noonday  devotions, 
by  all  means,"  whispered  Juliet  to  her  aunt,  and  as  all 
the  ladies  were  equally  desirous  of  witnessing  this  no- 
velty to  them,  they  thankfully  accepted  the  offer  of  the 
abbess  to  take  the  party  into  the  chapel.  The  abbess 
left  them,  after  having  escorted  them  to  a  convenient 
place  for  witnessing  the  proceedings,  and  Mrs.  Lyman, 
who  had  previously  visited  a  convent,  was  pointing  out 
to  her  interested  companions  the  various  degrees  of  the 
nuns  and  novices  present. 

•  "  Those,"  she  whispered,  pointing  to  a  group  of  young 
women  from  sixteen  to  twenty-five  years  of  age,  "  are 
novices  who  have  just  entered  the  convent,  and  are  now 
becoming  initiated  in  the  primary  duties  of  a  monastic 
life.  You  perceive  that,  although  they  have  adopted  a 
uniform  dress,  their  hair  has  not  yet  been  cut  close,  and 
their  faces  are  still  unveiled.  Now,  listen  to  that  chaunt. 
Is  it  not  delightful  ?  They  cultivate  music  in  these  con- 
vents to  a  high  degree.  Let  us  be  silent  until  this  sweet 
chaunt  is  concluded." 

The  party  listened  with  delight  to  the  almost  celestial 
music  of  the  choir,  and  when  it  was  brought  to  a  conclu- 
sion, Juliet,  who  had  been  for  some  moments  intently 
gazing  at  the  features  of  a  young  girl,  among  the  novices, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  223 

who  happened  to  be  nearest  to  her,  and  in  full  view  of 
the  whole  party,  said  : 

"  Dear  aunt,  just  look  at  the  features  of  that  young 
woman.  Is  she  not  like  Adolphus  ?  If  he  had  not  told 
us  his  sister  was  in  England,  1  could  almost  have  sworn 
they  were  brother  and  sister.  Surely  she  cannot  be  an 
Italian — her  complexion  is  too  fair.  Poor  thing!  she 
looks  in  ill  health,  too.  Is  not  the  resemblance  striking, 
aunt?" 

"  It  is  indeed,  my  dear,"  replied  Mrs.  Lyman,  and  the 
entire  party,  having  their  attention  directed  to  the  girl, 
were  equally  struck  with  the  resemblance. 

Just  at  this  moment  they  were  rejoined  by  the  abbess, 
the  devotions  being  ended.  Observing  them  to  be  in- 
terested in  the  young  woman,  she  said  : 

"  I  see  you  are  struck  with  the  pallid  looks  of  one  of 
my  latest  novices.  Poor  thing!  if  you  knew  all,  you 
would  feel  for  her  yet  more  deeply.  She  is  a  country 
woman  of  yours,  too  (for  I  presume  you  are  English), 
and,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  laboring  under  the  dreadful 
disorder  of  insanity,  although  the  quiet  of  the  convent 
has  already  effected  much  good,  and  I  have  no  doubt  she 
will  be  eventually  completely  cured.  It  is  a  pity,  for 
she  is  a  mild,  and  gentle,  as  well,  as  you  see,  a  very 
pretty  girl.  When  she  first  came  here,  she  clung  very 
pertinaciously  to  her  wild  fancies.  Now,  I  am.  happy  to 
say,  she  seldom  alludes  to  them,  although,  in  spite  of 
all  my  care  and  attention,  I  fear  her  health  is  declin- 
ing." ' 

u  What  is  her  name,  pray  ?"  said  Mrs.  Lyman,  still 
more  deeply  interested,  as  she  learnt  the  young  woman 
was  not  an  Italian,  while,  at  the  same  time,  a  strange 
presentiment  crossed  her  mind. 

"  She  states  her  name  to  be  Georgiana  Fitzherbert," 
replied  the  abbess ;  "  but  I  have  reasons  to  believe  that 
is  not  her  real  name ;  still,  although  I  have  sometimes 
questioned  her  sharply,  I  can  get  no  other  reply  from 
her.  Perhaps,  after  all,  poor  child,  she  really  conceives 
that  to  be  her  real  name. 


224  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OK, 

"Greorgiana  Fitzherbert !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lyman,  in 
a  tone  in  which  amazement  and  deep  emotion  were 
mingled,  while  the  other  ladies  were  equally  astonished 
on  hearing  the  name. 

"Dare  I  ask,"  she  continued,  "under  what  circum- 
stances this  young  woman  came  to  the  convent  ?" 

"  That  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  tell,"  said  the  abbess , 
"but,  (noticing  the  astonishment  that  appeared  in  the 
faces  of  all  the  ladies,)  surely  you,  madam,  are  not  ac- 
quainted with  the  girl?" 

"  Will  your  ladyship  allow  me  a  few  moments'  private 
conversation,"  said  Mrs.  Lyman  to  the  abbess,  in  an  agi- 
tated tone,  and  without  replying  to  the  question  of  prior 
acquaintance. 

"  Surely,  madam,"  answered  the  abbess  (her  own  cu- 
riosity being  now  strongly  excited,)  and  she  led  the  lady 
into  the  antechamber,  which  constituted  her  customary 
hall  of  audience. 

They  were  closeted  for  the  space  of  half-an-hour,  and 
at  the  expiration  of  that  time  Greorgiana  was  summoned 
by  the  abbess. 

"  Can  she  not  be  confronted  with  the  young  man  ? 
that  would  at  once  corroborate  or  disprove  the  truth  of 
her  statement?"  asked  Mrs.  Lyman,  in  reply  to  some  re- 
mark of  the  abbess. 

"  It  is  against  all  rule  that  it  should  be  so — and  yet, 
under  the  circumstances,  I  will  not  refuse  the  ordeal," 
said  the  latter.  And  greatly  to  the  surprise  of  the  young 
men,  who  were  waiting  somewhat  impatiently  in  the 
grounds,  wondering  what  detained  their  female  friends 
so  long,  and  making  some  confidential  and  not  very 
complimentary  remarks  upon  the  proverbial  tardiness 
of  the  ladies,  Adolphus  was  summoned  by  one  of  the 
domestics  of  the  convent,  and  requested  to  follow  her 
into  the  cloister. 

"  There  is  no  one  ill — nothing  the  matter,  I  hope  ?" 
said  both  the  young  men  in  the  same  breath. 

"  Oh,  no,  signors.  The  cavalier  is  only  wanted  to 
Ipeak  with  one  of  the  novices." 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  225 

"Whew I   the  d 1!"  exclaimed  Kobert,  not  very 

reverently,  considering  the  consecrated  ground  on  which 
he  stood;  "I  say,  'Dolph,  what's  up  now?  Don't  be 
playing  Don  Juan,  old  fellow ;  nor  yet  taking  the  veil. 
Egad !  you're  a  lucky  fellow  to  get  a  peep  inside.  I'd 
almost  agree  to  take  the  veil  myself,  for  a  year  or  two, 
at  any  rate,  if  they  would  only  give  me  the  privilege  of 
talking  to  the  girls  when  I  pleased." 

Adolphus  followed  the  domestic  into  the  convent, 
wondering  what  on  earth  he  was  summoned  for. 

"He  is  coming  now,"  said  Mrs.  Lyman  to  the  abbess, 
as  she  heard  the  tread  of  his  footstep. 

"  Do  not  speak,  then,"  said  the  abbess ;  "  let  us  see  if 
they  recognize  each  other." 

Georgiana  had  not  been  apprized  of  the  intention  of 
the  abbess  of  sending  for  her  brother,  nor  had  she  even 
been  told  he  was  in  Italy,  and  actually  so  near  her.  She, 
poor  girl,  had  simply  told  her  tale  of  woe,  and  although 
the  abbess  had  often  heard  and  disbelieved  her  story, 
(latterly,  perhaps,  more  properly  speaking,  rather  doubted 
than  disbelieved  it,)  she  was  now  nearly  convinced  that 
the  poor  girl  had  been  wronged ;  that  she  herself  had 
been  deceived,  and  that  her  story  was  really  true.  Hence 
her  half  unwilling  consent  so  far  to  infringe  upon  the 
strict  rules  of  the  convent  as  to  permit  a  male  visitor  to 
see  even  one  of  the  youngest  novices. 

Georgiana  was  resting  her  head  upon  a  table,  and 
weeping  bitterly,  when  her  brother  entered  the  room  in 
a  perfect  state  of  wonderment  as  to  what  all  this  mystery 
meant. 

"Lookup,  my  daughter,"  said  the  abbess,  and  the 
poor  girl  raised  her  head  ;  but  she  no  sooner  caught 
sight  of  Adolphus  than  she  uttered  a  cry  of  delight,  and 
springing  towards  him  she  fell  upon  his  neck,  murmur- 
ing— 

"  Adolphus,  my  dear — dear  brother!  this  is  happiness 
jnlooked  for  I" 

"  My  sister  I  dear  Georgiana !     What  is  the  meaning 
10* 


226  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

of  all  this  ?"  exclaimed  the  young  man,  almost  equally 
affected  yet  still  apparently  doubting  his  senses. 

The  ladies  were  too  much  affected  to  speak  for  some 
moments.  At  length  the  abbess  said — 

"  It  is  enough.  I  have  been  cruelly  deceived,  and 
you,  poor  child,  most  terribly  wronged.  Not  for  another 
hour  will  I  lend  my  sanction  to  such  atrocity  as  this :  I 
could  not  have  believed  it  possible  that  such  villany  ex- 
isted in  the  world." 

Meanwhile,  the  rumor  that  the  strange  ladies  had  sent 
for  the  new  novice,  had  become  known  throughout  the 
convent ;  and  in  this  community,  occurrences  of  any  de- 
scription, that  interrupted  the  monotony  of  their  daily 
duties,  occasioned  no  little  curiosity.  Thus  the  news 
had  reached  the  ears  of  Sister  Maria,  who,  immediately 
acting  under  an  impulse  she  could  no  longer  control, 
forgot  the  rules  of  decorum  and  forced  herself  into  the 
presence  of  the  abbess : 

"  Lady  Abbess,"  she  said,  "  I  have  known  this  a  long 
time.  I  have  known  how  this  poor  child  has  been 
wronged.  It  was  I  who  freed  her  from  the  machinations 
of  the  Countess  de  Paoli,  at  Philadelphia.  I  am  the 
Maria  of  whom  she  has  told  you.  It  was  I  who  sent  the 
letter  to  her  brother.  Here,  in  this  convent,  I  recognized 
her  when  first  she  became  an  inmate  of  it ;  but  I  re- 
frained, for  reasons  which  you  can  judge  of,  from  making 
our  recognition  known  to  others ;  but  now  I  can  bear 
this  yoke  no  longer,  and  be  the  consequences  to  me  what 
they  may,  I  am  ready  to  prove  how  grossly — how  cruelly 
the  poor  child  has  been  treated." 

"  Sister  Maria,  you  have  done  well,"  said  the  abbess, 
taking  her  hand,  "  and,  come  what  may,  you  shall  have 
rny  protection.  Ladies,  my  charge  over  this  poor  orphan 
ceases.  She  is  free  to  rejoin  her  brother,  and  may  suc- 
cess attend  them  both." 

The  party  bid  adieu  to  the  kind-hearted  abbess  and 
left  the  convent  together. 

"  Wonders  will  never  cease,"  said  Eobert,  as  he  saw 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  227 

them  approach.  "By  Jove  !  Adolphus  has  run  off  with 
a  young  nun,  and  a  devilish  pretty  one,  too." 

He  was  proceeding  with  his  badinage,  when  he  was 
checked  by  his  aunt,  who  briefly  told  him  the  story. 

The  party  returned  to  Turin,  and  it  was  resolved  that 
the  enemies  of  the  orphans  should  not  know  as  yet  that 
Georgiana  was  released  from  the  convent.  The  abbess 
herself  having  advised  that  silence  should  be  maintained 
on  the  subject. 

In  a  few  days  Mrs.  Lyman  received  the  letters  she 
expected,  and  the  party  set  out  on  their  way  to  England 
via  Paris. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Confessor  has  an  intervieio  with  the  Earl — Its  results 
are  unsatisfactory — The  Struggles  of  Ambition. 

I  LEFT  Father  Anselmo  at  his  midnight  devotions  in 
the  chapel  of  Alton  castle,  after  having  listened  to  the 
story  of  Lady  Mary  Alton  and  given  her  his  advice  how 
to  act.  When  the  worthy  father  heard  from  Lady 
Mary  the  result  of  her  attempts  to  induce  her  father  to 
give  up  his  ambitious  and  unjust  designs,  at  least  so 
far  as  she  was  involved  in  their  consummation,  he  was 
utterly  at  a  loss  how  further  to  proceed. 

Bred  in  the  strictest  school  of  Jesuitism,  Father  An- 
selmo had  been  trained  from  his  earliest  youth  to  re- 
verence authority  of  any  kind,  whether  of  spiritual  or 
temporal  character,  and  next  to  the  authority  exer- 
cised by  the  superiors  of  his  Order  and  of  the  Church, 
he  recognized  that  of  a  parent  over  his  children. 

How  then  could  he  reconcile  the  principles  to  which 
his  life  had  been  devoted,  with  thost  his  conscience  told 
him  he  should,  as  regarded  the  present  difficult  case, 
advise  Lady  Mary  to  follow  ?  How,  if  it  were  right  to 
turn  aside  and  disobey  the  highest  temporal  authority 


THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

at  the  dictates  of  conscience,  was  it  right  and  proper, 
heedless  of  the  warnings  of  the  same  monitor,  to  follow 
blindly  the  biddings  of  spiritual  authority,  ordained  by 
man  ;  for  although  the  worthy  father  could  bring  scrip- 
tural and  inspired  authority  to  his  aid  in  the  first  in- 
stance ;  for  is  it  j^ot  said,  ''  Children,  obey  your  parents 
in  all  things?"  he  could  find  none  in  the  latter  instance 
which  could  be  construed  as  bearing  otherwise  than  on 
the  church  at  large,  and  not  upon  any  particular  sect  or 
order. 

In  fact,  the  priest  found  himself  in  that  very  awkward, 
although  undefinable  position,  styled  "between  the 
horns  of  a  dilemma." 

Then  again  the  pleadings  of  affection  came  to  increase 
his  difficulty,  for  ascetic  as  he  was,  he  hadJelt  the  human 
craving  for  something  to  love,  and  the  affections  of  the 
stern  priest,  whose  life  was  devoted  to  Heaven — whose 
bride  was  the  Church — whose  children  her  faithful  mem- 
bers— had  allowed  almost  unwittingly  the  daughter  of 
his  earthly  patron,  she  whose  mind  he  had  trained, 
whose  disposition  he  had  watched  over  from  the  lisping 
days  of  her  childhood,  to  secure  a  hold  upon  his  heart 
as  firm  and  undying  as  that  held  by  a  beloved  and 
only  child  upon  the  affections  of  a  fond  and  indulgent 
parent. 

After  much  cogitation  he  sought  an  interview  with 
the  earl,  which,  of  course,  was  readil}7"  and  promptly 
granted,  for  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  probably  respected 
Father  Anselmo  more  than  any  other  human  being. 

He  met  the  earl,  and  plainly  told  him  the  reason 
wherefore  he  had  sought  to  speak  with  him. 

"  And  has  my  daughter  dared  to  make  known  to 
others  the  family  secrets  with  which  she  has  necessarily 
been  intrusted  ?"  said  the  earl,  after  he  had  listened  to 
the  explanation  of  the  reverend  father,  his  voice  trem- 
bling with  the  passion  he  could  not  control,  even  in  the 
presence  of  the  priest. 

"  My  lord,"  said  Father  Anselmo,  calmly  and  solemnly, 
"  your  lordship  forgets  that  in  the  privacy  of  the  con- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  229 

fessional,  the  heart  must  not  know — dare  acknowledge 
no  secrets,  or  the  sacrament  would  be  a  mere  mockery, 
not  of  the  humble  servant  of  God,  but  of  the  High  and 
Omnipotent  Supreme  himself.  In  matters  of  a  temporal 
nature,  I,  the  humble,  dependent  priest,  bow  with  re- 
verence to  your  rank;  but  in  those  matters  in  which 
I  am  called  by  my  great  Master  to  serve  His  Church, 
and  to  obey  His  behests,  I  owe  no  reverence  but  to 
Him — acknowledge  no  authority  save  His  alone." 

"  Pardon  me,  father,"  replied  the  earl.  "  I  was  be- 
trayed by  the  infirmity  of  my  temper  into  the  expres- 
sion of  words  I  should  not  have  uttered.  But  you,  in 
the  calm  pursuit  of  the  duties  of  your  holy  profession, 
know  not  the  difficulties  and  anxieties  which  surround 
other  men — especially  men  whom  it  has  pleased  God  to 
place  in  a  prominent  position — in  the  busy  conflict  with 
the  world.  You  cannot  know  the  many  reasons  which 
have  urged  me  to  this  course  regarding  my  daughter's 
marriage.  On  this  subject  you  cannot  feel  as  I  do." 

"  My  lord,  pardon  me  for  correcting  a  false  impres- 
sion your  lordship,  in  common  with  the  world,  appears 
to  entertain ;  the  conscientious  priest,  who  would 
honestly  do  his  duty  towards  his  heavenly  Master,  has 
more  difficulties  to  wrestle  with — more  troubles  to  con- 
tend with — than  the  busiest  man  of  the  world ;  for  he 
feels  that  the  welfare  of  living  souls  is  placed  in  his 
hands  ;  while  mere  worldly  men,  but  regard  matters  of 
a  temporal  nature.  Believe  me,  my  lord,  the  responsi- 
bilities of  a  priest  of  God's  Holy  Church,  far,  far  exceed 
those  of  other  men." 

For  some  moments  the  earl  and  the  priest  sat  silently 
engaged  in  thought.  The  earl  was  the  first  to  break  the 
silence. 

"  Father  Anselmo,"  he  said,  "this  business  has  now 
progressed  too  far  to  be  suspended.  To  put  a  stop  to  it 
now  would  involve  me  in  ruin." 

"  And  better  temporal  ruin,  my  lord,  than  the  eternal 
ruin  of  the  soul's  welfare  of  yourself  and  your  only  child. 
Allow  a  humble  priest  to  otter  your  lordship  some  ad- 


230  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

vice.  I  believe,  my  lord,  I  have  ever  been  a  faithful 
counsellor  to  your  lordship,  so  far  as  my  poor  abilities 
allowed  me  to  arrive  at  conclusions.  Absolve  Lady  Mary 
from  her  allegiance  to  parental  authority  in  this  matter; 
bid  her  choose  for  herself  the  husband  she  would  take ; 
or,  if  she  prefers  it,  as  I  believe  she  does,  let  her  pre- 
serve a  life  of  celibacy — and  living  unmarried,  ever  to  be 
to  you  a  daughter  whose  filial  duties  can  better  be  ren- 
dered when  no  other  earthly  object  shares  her  love." 

"Father  Anselmo,  this  cannot  be.  Even  to  you  I 
cannot  unburthen  my  mind  with  respect  to  this  matter ; 
neither  does  Lady  Mary  know  the  causes  which  drive  me 
to  this  course.  I  do  not  ask  you  as  a  priest  of  our  Holy 
Church  to  violate  your  conscience  by  bidding  my  child 
to  obey  her  father  in  this,  since  you  conceive  it  wrong  so 
to  do  ;  but  I  pray  you  to  be  silent  regarding  this  busi- 
ness, and  to  believe  that  Lady  Mary  is  wrong  in  her 
surmises ;  that  no  evil  is  intended  her  or  can  possibly 
befal  her;  and  in  so  doing,  to  let  matters  take  their 
course." 

"  Then  your  lordship  is  determined  not  to  alter  your 
intentions  in  this  regard?  ' 

"  Necessarily  determined,  father." 

"  I  regret  that  it  is  so,  and  trust  your  lordship  may 
yet  think  better  of  it :  but,  since  my  poor  counsel  is  of 
no  avail,  I  will  intrude  no  longer  upon  your  lordship, 
but  will  withdraw  to  my  own  apartment,  and  there, 
wrestling  in  earnest  prayer,  will  leave  the  result  with 

Father  Anselmo  left  the  room,  the  earl  rising  from 
his  seat  to  show  him  to  the  door. 

When  he  had  retired,  Lord  Alton  threw  himself  into 
his  luxurious  arm  chair,  and  sat  for  half  an  hour  ab- 
sorbed in  thought;  that  those  thoughts  were  not  pleasing 
ones,  might  be  known  from  the  working  of  his  features, 
and  at  length  he  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  in  the  follow- 
ing soliloquy  ; 

''  What  slaves  our  religion  makes  us  to  our  spiritual 
advisers,  even  though  those  advisers  be  our  earthly  ser- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS. 

vants.  I  dare  not  offend  this  meddling  priest — nor  dare 
I  accuse  my  daughter  of  tampering  with  him  to  suit  her 
purposes.  With  both  I  am  thus  compelled  to  maintain 
an  outward  show  of  respect — and  yet — I  almost  wish 
this  business  had  never  been  commenced.  Father  An- 
selmo  is  so  far  right,  that  a  parent  has  no  authority  to 
control  the  conscience  of  his  child ;  but  now  that  it  has 
gone  so  far,  there  is  no  retreat  save  in  exposure  and  dis- 
honor, to  which  death  were  preferable.  Strange !  how 
ambition  sears  the  heart.  I  can  sympathize  deeply  with 
the  orphans  of  Herbert — I  can  feel  in  my  own  heart  the 
agony  I  am  compelled  dto  inflict  upon  his  daughter. 
There  are  moments,  in  the  still  hour  of  the  night,  when 
the  eyes  are  sleepless  and  conscience  is  most  accusing, 
when  I  could  almost  rise  from  my  troubled  couch  and 
countermand  further  proceedings  in  this  matter;  but 
with  the  morning  ambition  steps  in  and  conscience  shrinks 
from  its  presence.  Pride  lends  its  aid  and  asks  whether 
the  spirit  can  brook  the  world's  contumely — can  laugh 
at  the  finger  of  scorn  pointed  in  derision,  and  the  re- 
pentant feelings  of  the  midnight  hour  take  wing  and  fly 
away.  After  all,  what  am  I  seeking  to  do,  loorse  than  is 
being  done  every  hour,  and  that  has  been  done  in  every 
age.  Pshaw  !  those  sentimental  ideas  are  foolish — only 
fitted  for  women  and  drivelling  priests.  There  is  Mary 
approaching  the  castle  from  the  garden.  I  cannot  see 
her  now.  My  spirits  are  strangely  oppressed  with  what 
Father  Anselmo  has  said.  I  will  ride  and  see  if  I  can 
shake  off  these  gloomy  thoughts."  And  rising  languidly 
from  his  seat,  the  earl  rang  the  bell  and  desired  the 
servant  to  order  the  groom  to  saddle  his  horse.  "  And 
tell  Lady  Mary,  Edward,"  continued  he,  "that  I  am 
going  to  ride,  and  probably  shall  not  return  home  until 
dinner  time." 

When  Father  Anselmo  quitted  the  presence  of  the 
earl,  he  retired  to  his  own  chamber  and  there  com- 
muned with  himself  as  to  the  course  he  should  pursue 
in  future.  But  study  as  he  might,  wrestle  in  earnest 
prayer,  as  he  did,  he  could  arrive  at  no  satisfactory  con- 


232  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

elusion.  He  thought  of  quitting  the  castle  and  retiring 
to  the  monastery  of  his  Order  in  Italy,  and  then  a  secret 
yearning  at  his  heart,  forbade  him  to  entertain  the  idea 
of  leaving  Lady  Mary  exposed,  as  he  believed,  to  the 
machinations  of  her  enemies,  and  among  those  enemies 
her  natural  protector — her  only  parent. 

Again,  he  struggled  within  himself  on  account  of  the 
disloyalty  he  had  felt,  in  spirit,  towards  the  behests  of 
those  superiors,  whom  he  had  been  taught  to  revere 
next  to  heaven.  Was  he  wrong  in  this  ?  To  doubt  the 
wisdom  of  the  founders  of  the  Order,  to  which  he  be- 
longed, appeared  to  him  to  be  equal  to  sacrilege.  He 
felt  as  though  in  not  at  once  banishing  the  first  suspi- 
cion against  the  spiritual  authority  he .  was  bound  by  a 
solemn,  sacred  oath  to  obey,  unchallenged  and  unques- 
tioned— he  had  committed  the  deadly  sin ;  and  yet  he 
could  not  resolve  to  bid  her  whose  spiritual  instructor 
he  was,  to  peril  her  soul  by  voluntarily  committing  evil. 

Amidst  these  conflicting  thoughts,  hours  passed  away 
and  the  evening  drew  near.  He  retired  at  his  usual 
hour  to  the  chapel,  and  there,  with  feelings  more  re- 
verential even  than  usual,  he  spent  the  greater  portion 
of  the  night  in  prayer. 

Just  as  day  began  to  dawn  he  left  the  chapel  and  re- 
tired to  his  dormitory,  and  as  he  composed  himself  to 
take  the  few  short  hours  of  sleep  he  allowed  his  aged, 
weary  frame,  he  murmured,  even  as  the  feeling  of  un- 
consciousness which  precedes  sleep  stole  over  him — 

"  It  must  be  so.  I  have  sought  guidance  from  Hea- 
ven in  prayer  for  hours — strongly  have  I  wrestled 
with  God,  and  he  has  answered  my  prayers.  1  am  re- 
solved." 

A  moment  more  and  the  weary  eyes  of  the  venerable 
priest  were  sealed  in  slumber. 


THE  OKPHAN'S  WRONGS.  233 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Vague  rumors   afloat — A    poor   look-out    ahead — "  Hope 
springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast." 

HAVING  succeeded,  as  they  believed  to  their  heart's 
content,  in  removing  the  rightful  heirs  from  the  country, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  in  avoiding  suspicion  as  to  the 
means  of  the  removal,  the  arch  schemers  in  this  despe- 
rate conspiracy  began  to  urge  forward  the  suit  before  the 
Ecclesiastical  Court,  where  viva  voce  evidence  could  not 
be  heard,  and  proverbial  as  are  the  law's  delays  in  such 
cases  as  these,  the  influence  sub  rosa,  of  the  Earl  of  Shrop- 
shire, and  the  untiring  energy  and  perseverance  of  the 
harpies,  Gripes  and  Cheatem,  did  at  length  succeed  in 
arousing  the  torpid  energies  of  the  sleepy  proctors  of 
"Doctor's  Commons,"  and  soon  the  newspapers  of  the 
day  began  to  put  forth  mysterious  announcements,  so 
worded  (after  the  style  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  press), 
that  while  the  public  was  quite  unable  to  discover  their 
meaning,  something  appeared  to  be  hidden  in  the  equi- 
vocal language,  which  led  to  the  belief  that  the  sapient 
editors  knew  more  than  they  chose  to  disclose';  and  thus, 
whenever  the  half-promised  future  disclosures  should  be 
made,  and  whatever  might  be  their  purport,  the  editors 
could,  without  fear  of  challenge  or  compromise,  safely 
assert  that  what  they  had  predicted  in  a  former  num- 
ber of  their  paper,  had  come  to  pass  ;  and  so  manage  to 
keep  up,  in  the  estimation  of  the  good,  easy,  confiding 
public,  the  idea  that  they  knew  everything  about  every- 
body. 

At  length  these  vague  rumors  began  to  assume  a  more 
tangible  shape ;  and  there  was  an  unusual  stir  and  bustle 
among  the  gentlemen  of  the  "  long  robe,"  and  the  "  blue 


234  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

bag,"  and  one  fine,  morning,  the  mountain  which  had 
been  so  long  in  labor,  was  delivered  of  its  burden,  and 
out  crept — not  a  mouse,  bat  the  announcement  of  the 
fact,  that  the  great  case  of  Fitzherbert  vs.  Fitzherbert, 
was  to  commence  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  term, 
immediately  after  the  present  vacation  had  come  to  an 
end. 

Now,  the  mountain  needn't  have  labored  so  long  and 
so  hard ;  for,  although  the  matter  assumed  an  appear- 
ance of  most  extraordinary  interest  in  the  eyes  of  the 
learned  gentlemen  of  the  legal  profession,  brief-full  and 
briefless,  who  may  be  considered  in  the  light  of  the  ac- 
couche rs  in  such  cases  as  these — the  busy  public  cared 
very  little  about  the  matter,  and  would  not  have  been 
greatly  discomposed,  had  the  Fitzherbert  property,  con- 
tending parties  and  lawyers  on  both  sides,  into  the  bar- 
gain, been  submerged  in  the  ocean,  or  buried  beneath  the 
Godwin  quicksands. 

However,  after  all,  it  was  a  great  case — a  very  great 
case — and  it  did  occasion  a  great  deal  of  chit-chat  and 
caused  a  great  deal  of  long-buried  and  almost  forgotten 
scandal  relative  to  certain  courtly  personages  to  be  ex- 
humed and  revivified.  As  the  day  drew  near,  the  earl 
of  Shropshire  betrayed  a  great  deal  of  nervous  anxiety, 
and  once  or  twice  made  some  very  absent-minded  and 
incoherent  remarks,  from  his  place  in  the  House  of  Peers, 
when  that  most  honorable  House  was  engaged  in  the 
heat  of  debate  upon  the  corn  law  question,  which 
caused  some  of  the  noble  lords  present  to  whisper  and 
nod  mysteriously  to  each  other,  and  to  tap  their  fore- 
heads with  their  forefingers,  as  much  as  to  say  that  the 
stalwart  earl,  whose  constitution,  mentally  and  physically, 
had  hitherto  appeared  to  be  of  iron,  was  beginning  to 
feel  the  infirmities  of  age,  and  was  verging  towards  the 
condition  of  second  childhood  ;  for  no  one  suspected — so 
cunningly  had  matters  been  managed,  that  the  noble 
earl  had  any  peculiar  interest  in  the  case  of  Fitzherbert 
vs.  Fitzherbert. 

Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert  likewise  was  a  little  agitated, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  235 

notwithstanding  his  constitutional  indolence.  He  felt 
more  ennui  and  fatigue  than  usual,  he  assured  his  anxious 
friends  of  the  Life  Guards,  that  the  arduous  duties  of  his 
profession  —  these  "  tewible  marchings  and  counter- 
marchings  in  St.  James's  Park,  had  become  more  insup- 
portable than  ever.  He  would  have  resigned  his  com- 
mission in  disgust — only,  his  pay  formed  a  very  consi- 
derable portion  of  his  somewhat  limited  income,  besides, 
his  position  as  an  officer  in  that  distinguished  corps  (of 
the  peace  establishment),  helped  him  materially  in  the 
way  of  victimizing  tradesmen  and  money  lenders ;  but 
one  thing  he  was  resolved  upon,  if  he  succeeded  in  his 
business  and  married  Lady  Mary — that  is,  wedded  the 
Huntingdonshire  estates,  with  the  encumbrances  there- 
unto belonging — he  should  immediately  retire  from  the 
army,  obtain  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Commons,  and  de- 
vote the  remainder  of  his  life  to — horse-racing.  But 
even  this  favorite  amusement  had  gone  wrong  with  Lord 
Henry  of  late,  for  while  engaged  in  mentally  figuring  up 
the  amount  of  income  and  money  in  the  funds,  which 
he  hoped  soon  to  handle,  he  had  made  sundry  awkward 
mistakes  in  figuring  up  his  betting  book  (he  was  a  man 
of  one  idea,  who  could  never  manage  to  keep  the  run 
of  two  things  at  a  time),  and  had  consequently  lost  con- 
siderable sums  of  money,  while,  as  if  purposely  to 
aggravate  him,  the  money  letfders  had  grown  excessively 
cautious  of  late,  and  our  old  friend  Jacob  of  the  Mino- 
ries,  positively  refused  to  advance  another  "  farden." 
Indeed,  Jacob,  about  this  time,  was  remarked  to  be 
often  at  "  Doctor's  Commons,"  prying  curiously  into  old 
worm-eaten  MSS.,  and  copies  of  wills  and  title  deeds; 
and  while  many  an  habitue  of  the  place  wondered  what 
the  old  Jew  was  seeking  after  with  such  caution,  some 
of  the  younger  loiterers  in  this  venerable,  dreamy 
lounging  place,  would  place  their  fore-fingers  on  the 
side  of  their  noses,  and  winking  at  each  other,  shrewdly 
and  very  explicitly  remark,  that  the  "  old  codger  was 
up  to  snuff." 

For  my  part,  I  will  acknowledge  that  I  was  in  a  great 


236  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OH, 

state  of  excitement,  and  anxiety,  for  although  not  being, 
of  course,  eligible  to  act  in  this  case,  in  England,  I  had 
set  rny  heart  upon  the  success  of  my  proteges,  and  had 
aided  Mr.  Hughes,  not  only  gratuitously,  but  with  eager- 
ness, in  every  possible  way  that  I  could ;  and  now  to 
lose  sight  of  both  the  young  people,  in  this  unaccount- 
able manner,  and  to  kn^ir  that  the  suit  was  to  be  hurried 
forward  at  a  time  whe»  no  contestants  could  be  produced 
to  present  a  counter  claim  against,  as  I  believed  them  to 
be,  the  defrauding  conspirators,  and  in  a  court  where 
viva  voce  evidence  would  not  be  received,  annoyed  me 
very  much,  to  say  nothing  of  the  terrible  state  of  anxiety 
I  was  in  about  the  Fitzherberts  themselves. 

The  composure  of  Mr.  Hughes  contributed  to  increase 
my  vexation.  Nothing  seemed  to  put  this  man  out  of 
the  way;  whatever  he  felt  on  the  subject  he  kept  to 
himself. 

On  calling  one  morning  at  his  office,  I  found  him  en- 
gaged in  earnest  conversation  with  a  little,  sharp-featured 
man,  who  held  in  his  hand,  and  lugged  about  with  him 
wherever  he  went,  a  great,  blue  bag,  stuffed  with  papers, 
and  almost  as  big  and  as  heavy  as  himself. 

"Good  morning,  Mr. ,"  said  Mr.  Hughes,  when 

at  length  the  conference  being  over,  the  little  man  had 
retired.  "  It's  lovely  weather,  is  it  not  ?  The  '  Garden' 
looks  quite  rural  and  charming  this  morning."  (The 
"  Garden"  was  an  inclosure  in  the  court  of  Lincoln's-Inn, 
from  which  it  derives  its  appellation  of  Lincoln's-Inn- 
Fields,  and  it  presented  to  view  from  Mr.  Hughes'  office 
windows  some  stunted  shrubbery  smothered  in  dust,  and 
a  lawn  the  color  of  green  baize.  Certainly  it  looked  very 
rural  and  charming.) 

"  That  gentleman  who  has  just  left  me  is  Mr.  Ferret, 
one  of  the  sharpest  and  cleverest  attorneys  in  London. 
I  have  engaged  him  in  the  Fitzherbert  case." 

"  Then  you  intend  to  contest  the  case  ?"  said  I,  some- 
what astonished. 

"  Of  course  I  do.  I  am  the  counsel  in  the  case.  I 
have  pledged  myself  to  do  my  best  to  win  it,  and  I  never 


THE  OEPHAN'S  WRONGS.  237 

break  my  word ;  and  a  better  fellow  than  Ferret  to  pry 
and  peer  about,  and  to  hunt  up,  and  collect  and  unite 
facts  and  circumstances,  and  bring  them  to  bear  on  the 
subject,  I  say  again,  could  not  be  found.  He  put  many 
a  job  into  my  hands  years  ago,  when  a  young  man  and 
a  briefless  barrister,  and  I  help  him  all  I  can,  now  that  I 
have  worked  my  way  up  in  the  world.  We  work  to- 
gether as  counsel  and  attorney  whenever  we  can  get  a 
chance.  I  would  trust  anything  in  the  hands  of  Ferret." 

"But,  my  dear  Mr.  Hughes,"  said  I,  "you  forget  that, 
in  the  first  place,  they  have  made  a  Chancery  case  of  it, 
and  besides  that,  our,  or  rather  I  should  say,  your  clients 
are  missing  and  not  to  be  found,  and  to  come  into  any 
court  without  them  would  be  ridiculous  and  useless." 

"  I  know  full  well  all  you  have  said ;  but  a  good  many 
things  may  turn  up  between  now  and  the  day  the  case 
is  to  come  on.  Let  me  see ;  to-day  is  the  14th,  and  the 
case  comes  up  on  the  7th  of  next  month ;  fourteen  from 
thirty  one  and  seventeen  remains,  seventeen  and  seven  is 
twenty-four — full  three  weeks,  exclusive  of  the  present 
date  and  the  day  of  issue.  My  good  sir,  a  great  many 
strange  things  happen  in  the  course  of  three  weeks.  I 
have  engaged  my  wife's  brother,  Counsellor  Green,  as 
junior  counsel,  and  he  too  is  hard  at  work.  Even  if 
nothing  transpires  between  now  and  then  to  better  our 
chances,  I  shall  at  least  attempt,  although  it  may  be  use- 
less, to  obtain  a  stay  of  proceedings,  and  to  get  the  case 
transferred  to  the  forthcoming  assizes  at  Huntingdon ; 
indeed,  I  have  reason  to  believe  I  can  insist  upon  the 
suit  being  taken  out  of  Chancery  and  tried  in  the  county 
in  Avhich  the  disputed  estates  are  located,  and  that,  you 
see,  will  give  us  another  week ;  for  the  assizes  will  not 
commence  in  Huntingdon  until  the  fourteenth  day  of 
the  next  month." 

I  could  not  do  otherwise  than  express  my  satisfaction 
at  the  determination  evinced  by  tne  worthy  barrister ; 
but  still  I  gave  expression  to  doubt,  almost  approaching 
to  hopelessness,  as  regarded  our  final  success,  under  the 
present  dreary  prospects. 


238  THE  LAWYER'S  STOKY;   OR, 

"  Well,  certainly  our  prospects  are  not  the  most  flat- 
tering in  the  world,  but  my  dear  sir,  the  doctor  tells  us, 
'  while  there  is  life  there  is  hope,'  and  your  experience, 
as  my  own  has  done,  must  have  taught  you  that  some- 
times the  quirks  and  quibbles  of  the  law,  present  some 
very  unexpected  phases  in  the  position  of  a  case,  especi- 
ally such  an  one  as  this,  and  what  should  we  think  of 
ourselves,  if  just  at  the  eleventh  hour  something  should 
turn  up  favorable  to  our  clients,  and  find  us  unpre- 
pared." 

I  acquiesced  in  his  remarks,  and  seeing  that  he  was 
extremely  busy,  wished  him  good  morning. 

On  the  other  side,  all  that  at  this  time,  I  could  learn, 
(for  I  have  already  informed  the  reader,  that  it  has  been 
necessary  for  rne  to  disclose  to  him  in  the  regular  course 
of  this  narrative,  facts,  which  I,  even  at  this  late  hour, 
was  ignorant  of,  and  many  of  which  I  did  not  learn  until 
months  after)  was,  that  the  parties  who  had  virtually 
claimed  possession  of  the  property,  had  engaged  as  chief 
counsel,  Isaak  Gripes,  Esq.,  of  the  Inner  Temple,  Bar- 
rister, with  whom  was  associated  as  junior  counsel, 
Archer  Snap,  Esq.,  and  that  Mr.  Crawley  Cheatem  was 
the  attorney  in  the  case.  These  were  to  act,  should  the 
case,  as  even  they  seemed  to  anticipate,  be  thrown  out 
of  Chancery.  I  made  inquiry  of  Mr.  Hughes  and  others 
relative  to  the  standing  of  these  men,  and  the  reply  I 
generally  received  was: 

"  Well,  sir,  Gripes  has  rather  lowered  himself  in  the 
opinion  of  the  aristocracy  of  the  profession  in  conse- 
quence of  his  having  worked  his  way  up  in  the  criminal 
courts ;  but  he  is  a  very  able  counsellor,  sir — very  able, 
and  difficult  to  catch  tripping.  As  to  Snap,  he  is  one  of 
the  quickest  and  most  subtle-minded  barristers  in  Lon- 
don ;  and  though  I  don't  know  much  about  Cheatem,  as 
he  is  one  of  the  '  Old  Bailey'  lawyers,  as  they  are  termed, 
who  don't  bear  a  very  good  name  in  the  profession,  and 
will  do  any  dirty  job  for  gain,  I  am  told  he  is  a  clever, 
cunning  attorney — a  man  that  will  grope  in  the  mud  for 
facts  to  bear  upon  any  case  he  takes  in  hand,  and  is  not 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  239 

very  particular  as  regards  the  cleanly  appearance  of  the 
facts  he  gathers  when  he  produces  them  before  the  court. 
They  will  be  a  tough  trio  to  deal  with,  sir,  I  can  assure 


you  " 


Thus  stood  matters  at  this  time,  apparently  upon  the 
eve  of  the  decision  of  the  suit,  for  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  as  yet  no  news  had  been  received  respecting 
young  Fitzherbert. 


CHAPTEE  XXV. 

A  man  of  the  world  in  a  desperate  strait. 

I  STATED  in  the  preceding  chapter  that  Lord  Fitzher- 
bert was  in  rather  an  awkward  position  as  regarded 
money  matters ;  in  fact  he  was  beginning  to  experience 
the  difficulties  which  had  beset  his  royal  father  during 
the  earlier  portion  of  his  life,  being  constantly  pestered 
by  vulgar,  dunning  tradesmen,  who  had  not  delicacy 
and  refinement  enough  in  their  base,  plebeian  blood, 
to  appreciate  the  honor  of  having  the  name  of  a  gentle- 
man on  their  books,  or  to  feel  how  very  annoying  it  is 
to  the  privileged  classes  to  be  asked  to  pay  their  debts, 
when  they  have  not  got  the  money  to  pay  them  with, 
or  have  debts  of  honor  to  meet,  of  much  greater  import- 
ance in  the  estimation  of  a  gentleman,  or  wish  to  ap- 
propriate their  money  to  their  own  pleasures. 

Gentlemen  of  Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert's  stamp,  don't 
often  lower  themselves  to  the  grade  of  the  common 
people  by  keeping  their  tradesmen's  accounts  square; 
but  there  are  times  when  it  becomes  necessary  for  them 
to  pay  up  a  part  at  least  of  their  outstanding  debts  in 
order  to  obtain  future  credit.  Tradesmen,  as  we  obser- 
ved in  the  early  portion  of  this  narrative,  are  not  all 
blessed  with  the  patience  of  Job,  and  sometimes  they 
grow  pertinacious  if  not  absolutely  insolent  in  their  de- 
mands. 


240  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

Lord  Fitzherbert,  then  was  dunned  every  day :  his 
valet  presented  him  with  an  imposing  array  of  trades- 
men's bills  every  morning  along  with  his  post-office  let- 
ters, and  whether  he  walked  out  into  the  parks,  or 
lounged  in  Regent-street,  or  Bond-street,  he  was  sure  to 
be  met  by  some  of  his  creditor's  and  most  impudently,  in 
the  face  of  the  whole  world  (of  fashion)  and  in  the  broad 
glare  of  day,  asked  to  settle  that  small  account  as  soon 
as  convenient ;  and  to  meet  all  these  demands,  amount- 
ing to  many  thousands,  Lord  Henry  had  £50  and  his  ex- 
pectations. As  it  happened  that  his  lordship  was  not  a 
peer  of  the  realm,  there  was  nothing  in  the  way  to  pre- 
vent his  being  arrested  by  the  more  obdurate  of  these 
vulgar  tradesmen,  and  to  tell  the  truth,  his  tailor  had  ac- 
tually threatened  to  cause  his  arrest  if  his  account  due 
for  five  years,  was  not  settled  by  the  end  of  the  follow- 
ing week.  Lord  Shropshire  had  been  victimised  several 
times  to  the  tune  of  a  cool  thousand,  and  the  last  time 
the  earl  had  given  his  check,  he  had  rebuked  Lord  Henry 
pretty  sharply  for  his  extravagance,  and  positively  as- 
sured him  that  he  would  lend  him  no  more  money.  The 
money  lenders  had  all  grown  shy  of  making  further 
loans,  and  the  advances  he  had  lately  received  from  this 
source  had,  besides  the  heavy  interest  which  had  been 
deducted  for  the  first  year,  been  so  much  further  reduced 
by  the  miscellaneous  articles  forced  upon  him  as  part  of 
the  advance,  as  to  have  been  rendered  useless.  For  in- 
stance, with  much  humiliating  persuasion,  his  lordship 
had  obtained,  a  few  weeks  previously,  the  sum  of  five 
hundred  pounds  (a  mere  fleabite  compared  with  what 
his  necessities  demanded,  even  had  he  obtained  the  whole 
sum  in  money)  but  this  was  fur  from  being  the  case ;  in 
fact  20  per  cent.,  or  one  hundred  pounds,  had  been  de- 
ducted for  the  first  years'  interest,  leaving  only  four  hun- 
dred pounds;  and  his  lordship  had  actually  received, 
two  hundred  pounds  in  cash ;  a  Cremona  violin  (which 
he  could  make  no  use  of)  valued  by  the  usurer  at  seventy- 
five  guineas  ;  a  pair  of  stuffed  owls — twenty  pounds  ten 
shillings ;  a  doubled  handled  sword — a  great  relic,  being 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  241 

one  of  those  which  had  belonged  to  Sir  William  Wal- 
lace, cheap,  as  the  Jew  said,  at  fifteen  pounds  ten ;  four 
tin  cases  filled  with  bottle  corks,  labelled,  and  with  com- 
position tops  elegantly  silvered — four  pounds  two  and 
six  pence  ;  a  barrel  of  Day  and  Martin's  blacking ;  a  set 
of  harness  ;  a  box  of  shaving  soap  and  a  parcel  of  fine 
old  port  of  the  year  1804,  which  the  Jew  had  lately  pur- 
chased from  a  friend  of  his,  a  manufacturer  of  old  wine 
and  pure  French  brandies,  who  resided  in  the  classic 
neighborhood  of  Houndsditch.  These  made  up  the  sum 
total  of  the  advance  to  the  unfortunate  nobleman,  and  it 
may  be  well  imagined  he  was  not  a  great  deal  better  off 
by  his  bargain.  His  lordship  sat  in  his  apartment  in 
the  Albany  absorbed  in  a  brown  study ;  at  length  he 
started  up  and  muttering  something  between  his  clinched 
teeth,  which  sounded  very  like  an  oath,  he  said,  "  It's 
of  no  use,  I  must  try  Jacob  again." 

In  the  course  of  a  couple  of  hours  after  having  arrived 
at  this  determination,  he  made  his  appearance  in  the 
dingy  office  in  the  Minories  into  which  we  have,  in 
imagination,  already  twice  conducted  the  reader. 

Putting  on  as  bold  a  front  as  possible,  his  lordship 
entered  the  money  lender's  office. 

"  Ah  !"  exclaimed  Jacob,  who  was  sitting  in  his  ac- 
customed seat  at  the  table,  busily  engaged  in  perusing 
some  parchments,  while  still,  in  the  old  corner,  sat  the 
withered  anatomy  of  dry  bones  —  the  centegenarian 
Mordecai.  "  Ah,  happy  to  see  your  lordship.  Vat  ish 
your  lordship's  bishness?  Hash  you  called  to  make  ar- 
rangements to  shettle  up  de  advances  I  have  had  de 
pleasure  to  make  to  your  lordship?" 

"You  are  facetious,  rny  dear  friend  Jacob,"  replied 
Lord  Fitzherbert,  endeavoring  to  appear  unconcerned, 
"  1  am  glad  to  see  that  neither  the  multitude  of  your 
business  nor  the  close  atmosphere  of  this  place  pre- 
vents you  from  indulging  in  a  joke.  So  far  from 
calling,  as  you  pleasantly  and  good  humoredly  observe, 
to  settle  our  account  immediately,  my  business  this 


242  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

morning  is  to  beg  an  additional  loan  of  five  thousand 
pounds." 

"  Can't  be  done,  anyhow,"  replied  Jacob.  "  Your  lord- 
ship is  twenty-five  thousand  pounds  in  ray  debt,  without 
counting  de  interest,  and  vere  de  payment  ish  to  come 
from  nobody  knows.  De  securitish  ishn't  vorth  a 
'  pheugh/  "  snapping  his  fingers  in  the  air. 

"  My  dear  friend,  I  must  have  the  money,  positively, 
or  I  shall  be  arrested  for  debt,  and  my  prospects  of  future 
payment  ruined." 

''  Oh  yesh !  It  ish  my  dear  friend,  mine  goot  friend 
Jacob ;  but  if  you  didn't  vant  de  monish,  how  long 
should  I  be  your  goot  friend  Jacob,  eh,  my  lord  ?  Vat 
ish  it  to  me  whether  you  are  arrested  or  not  ?  Answer 
me  that,  mine  goot  friend  Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert." 

"  It  matters  this  much,  Jacob,  that  the  suit  is  about  to 
come  off  on  the  success  of  which  your  repayment  de- 
pends. It  is  sure  to  go  in  our  favor,  and  the  property, 
even  in  ready  money,  is  sufficient  to  pay  off  the  debt  I 
owe  you  twenty  times  over.  A  few  more  thousands  will 
only  give  you  so  much  more  profit,  when  the  day  of  set- 
tlement comes.  Should  I  be  disgraced  by  an  arrest,  it 
must  come  to  the  ears  of  Lord  Alton,  and  he  would  at 
once  break  off  the  marriage  at  any  cost  to  himself — aye, 
at  the  cost  of  the  whole  property — I  know  his  lordship 
well,  and  the  means  of  paying  you  the  money  I  owe 
would  forever  be  taken  from  me.  Now,  Jacob,  I  have 
told  you  how  I  am  situated ;  do  you  not  see  the  neces- 
sity of  granting  me  a  further  loan  ?" 

"  No,  my  lord,  1  don't  shee  no  necessity,  because  de  se- 
curitish ish  all  gammon.  Suppose  you  gain  de  suit,  you 
can't  hold  possession  of  de  property  should  there  be 
another  claimant.  It  ish  ail  a  fraud." 

"  A  fraud,  sir !  You  are  insolent,"  exclaimed  his 
lordship. 

"  Insholent !  God  of  my  fathers,  hear  de  Christian  ! 
Insholent !  ven  I  have  advanced  tousands  of  my  monish 
on  securitish  victi  turns  out  to  be  no  securitish  at  all 
Insholent  1  dat  ish  too  goot." 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  248 

"  I  have  given  you  security,  sir,  upon  the  Brampton 
Manor  property,  which  will  shortly  be  in  my  possession, 
and  if  a  rental  of  £15,000  per  annum,  and  nearly 
£200,000  of  arrears  is  not  good  security  for  the  loan  of 
a  few  paltry  thousands,  I  should  like  to  know  what  more 
you  require." 

"  My  Lord  Fitzherbert,  ven  you  came  to  get  de  loan 
of  the  lasht  five  thousand  from  me,  I  advanshed  it  to 
you  vid  good  will ;  but  I  thought  it  would  be  as  well  to 
make  sure  dat  de  securitish  vash  goot.  So  I  called  at 
Doctor's  Commons  and  examined  de  title  deeds,  and  I 
found  dat  de  claim  made  by  you  and  your  friends  was 
fio  claim  at  all.  Dat  de  securitish  for  mine  monish 

was  not  vort  one  Christian  d n  ;  dat  de  propertish 

was  belonging  to  von  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  and  his  heirs 
forever ;  and  dat  you  yourself  vash  not  even  make  de 
claims,  but  some  von  Fitzherbert  and  his  sister,  vot  vash 
no  Fitzherbert  at  all.  Yesh,  my  lord,  de  lawyers  may 
be  gammoned,  but  de  Jew  can  grope  and  search  vere  de 
lawyers  vill  not  take  de  trouble  ven  thejPfsh  paid  not  to 
be  too  particular.  My  lord,  you  cannot  gammon  de 
Jew  ven  de  monish  and  de  securitish  iaifcat  fault." 

"  De  goot  securitish  is  everything  in  the  vorld,"  ex- 
claimed the  shrivelled  centegenarian,  in  a  sepulchral 
voice  from  an  obscure  corner  of  the  room. 

"  Can't  you  hold  your  tongue,  you  old  shinner — vat 
ish  de  securitish  to  you  now  ?" 

"  Ah,  you  speak  !  Yesh,  it  vash  a  goot  prince — I  will 
lendde  monish,  but  I  must  have  goot  securitish,"  replied 
the  old  man,  who  was  evidently  in  the  very  last  stage 
of  dotage,  and  who  was  accustomed  now  to  harp  upon  one 
idea,  that  of  his  former  dealings  with  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

"  Bosh !"  replied  Jacob ;  "  and  ash  to  you,  my  lord,  I 
have  lent  too  much  monish  already,  and  will  not  ad- 
vansh  another  farden.  I  told  you  so  ven  you  came  here 
de  oder  day  ;  now  I  have  told  you  de  reason  vy  ;  and 
more,  I  shall  wait  till  de  shuit  is  decided,  and  den  if 
I  am  not  paid  by  de  Earl  of  Shropshire,  who,  I  have 
learned,  is  concerned  in  dish  matter,  I  shall  expose  de 


244  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

whole  affair."  Goot  day,  my  lord — mine  goot  friend 
— I  am  very  sorry  I  cannot  accommodate  you  with  de 
monish ;  but  monish  ish  scarche — very  scarche." 

The  tones  were  bitterly  ironical,  and  too  abashed  to 
make  any  reply,  Lord  Henry  left  the  room. 

Regaining  the  street,  he  pushed  his  hat  far  over  his 
brow,  and  scarcely  knowing  whjther  next  he  would 
direct  his  steps,  he  turned  habitually  after  reaching  the 
head  of  the  street,  towards  the  Strand.  A  heavy  rain  was 
falling,  but  Lord  Fitzherbert  heeded  'not  the  rain ;  for 
once  in  his  life  he  was  insensible  to  creature  discomforts, 
and  overpowered  by  the  mental  distraction  produced  by 
the  knowledge  of  the  ruin  impending  over  him,  could 
he  not  find  some  means  to  extricate  himself  from  his 
overwhelming  pecuniary  difficulties. 

There  was  no  alternative  but  to  write  a  penitential 
letter  to  the  Earl  of  Shropshire,  stating  the  exigencies 
of  the  case,  and  soliciting  a  loan,  promising,  at  the  same 
time,  that  it  should  really  be  the  last  he  would  ask 
for.' 

He  hurried  hpme  to  his  apartments  in  the  Albany, 
wrote  the  letter^Jpnd  dispatched  his  valet  with  it  to  the 
post-office,  for  the  earl  had  gone  to  his  castle  in  Shrop- 
shire, and  then  hurried  to  his  club,  to  forget,  if  he  could, 
in  the  conversation  of  his  friends  and  companions  of  the 
hour,  the  troubles  which  harassed  his  mind. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  just  about  the  hour  of  the 
post-office  delivery  of  country  letters,  he  was  sitting  im- 
patiently on  the  tenter  hooks  of  expectation,  awaiting 
the  earl's  reply,  hoping  it  would  be  favorable,  yet  fear- 
ing a  denial,  when  his  valet  hurried  into  the  room. 

"  A  letter  for  me,  Harrison,  eh?"  said  Lord  Fitzher- 
bert. 

"  No,  my  lord  ;  but  I  have  hurried  up  stairs  to  inform 
your  lordship  that  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  has  just  en- 
tered the  Albany,  and  is  now  engaged  in  conversation 
with  Sir  John  Harvey  in  the  hall.  I  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity to  hasten  up  and  inform  your  lordship  that  the 
carl  is  here.' 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  245 

"  That  is  well,  Harrison ;  but  go  down  and  be  ready 
to  announce  his  lordship  when  he  has  disengaged  him- 
self from  Sir  John." 

The  valet  left  the  room,  and  in  a  few  minutes  returned, 
and,  throwing  open  the  door,  announced  the  Earl  or 
Shropshire. 

As  the  earl  entered,  Lord  Fitzherbert  rose  from  hia 
seat,  and  advanced  to  meet  him.  He  appeared  unusually 
serious,  and  Lord  Fitzherbert  anticipated  an  explosion 
of  anger. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  letter  you  sent  me,  re- 
questing a  further  loan  of  money,  Henry?"  said  the 
earl,  when  he  had  taken  a  seat,  without  taking  the 
younger  gentleman's  proffered  hand. 

"  My  lord,  I  have  explained  all  in  my  letter.  I  have 
been  recklessly  improvident,  of  that  1  am  well  aware. 
I  have  no  excuses  to  offer ;  but  I  faithfully  promise  to 
be  guilty  of  such  indiscretions  no  more,  should  your 
lordship  kindly  relieve  me  from  my  present  difficulties." 

"  Henry,  I  told  you  when  last  I  advanced  you  money, 
that  it  should  be  the  last  I  would  lend,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances. Shameful!  disgraceful!^  your  time  of 
life,  thus  to  involve  yourself  in  difficulties  by  a  course 
of  reckless  expenditure  which  would  be  unpardonable 
in  a  spendthrift  youth  of  high  expectations,  and  heir  to 
a  certain  succession  in  entail.  There  is  no  excuse,  sir, 
for  your  conduct." 

"  My  lord,  I  offer  none;  but  you  must  be  aware  that 
my  income  is  sadly  disproportioned  to  my  necessary  ex- 
penses, in  order  to  maintain  my  proper  position  in  so- 
ciety. But  I  will,  as  I  have  said,  be  more  guarded  in 
future." 

"  Your  income  may  be  small,  sir,  but  it  is  sufficient 
for  your  maintenance  in  comfort.  I  will  grant  it  is  not 
large  enough  to  warrant  your  attendance  at  the  gaming 
table  and  the  race  course." 

"  And  these  my  lord,  I  will  forswear,  if  once  I  can 
get  out  of  my  present  difficulties." 

For  some  moments  the  earl  pondered  over  the  case. 


246  THE  LAWYER'S  STOKY;  OK, 

Matters  were  now  in  a  critical  position,  and  the  arrest 
of  Lord  Fitzherbert  might  disconcert  all  his  ambitious 
and  avaricious  views.  It  was  not,  therefore,  any 
personal  regard  for  the  young  nobleman,  but  solely 
motives  of  personal  advantage,  that  led  the  earl  to 
say:— 

"And  if  I  now  come  forward,  and  advance  the 
money  to  pay  your  debts,  you  will  faithfully  promise 
that  you  will  call  upon  me  no  more  for  any  such  pur- 
pose, under  any  circumstances." 

"  I  promise,  my  lord." 

"  Then  give  me  a  full  list  of  the  debts  you  owe. 
Hide  nothing,  sir,  and  I  will  decide  how  to  act." 

Lord  Fitzherbert,  thus  brought  to  this  humiliating 
condition,  wrote  down  in  pencil  the  full  amount  of  the 
various  accounts  that  had  been  sent  in  to  him,  amount- 
ing in  the  wrhole  to  over  £5,000,  and  silently  handed 
the  paper  to  the  earl. 

Lord  Alton  took  it  and  glanced  over  the  items  : — 

"  This  ik  all  ?  this  leaves  no  debt  of  honor ;  nothing 
else  to  be  paid  ?" 

"  Nothing,  TQM  lord ;  my  debts  of  honor  have  always 
been  scrupulously  paid  when  due." 

"  I  am  glad,  at  least,  that  amidst  your  extravagance 
you  have  preserved  intact  your  honor  as  a  gentleman, 
although  those  debts  of  honor  have  led  to  the  nonpay- 
ment of  the  others.  You  should  not  have  incurred  them ; 
but  having  incurred  them,  you  have  done  well  in  dis- 
charging- them.  I  will  give  you  a  check  for  £6,000, 
which  will  cover  the  amount  of  your  debts,  and  leave  a 
small  sum  of  ready  cash  in  your  hands ;  but  mark  me, 
Henry, — this  is  the  last  time  I  will  step  between  you  and 
ruin." 

Lord  Fitzherbert  acknowledged  the  generosity  of  the 
earl,  and  received  the  check,  which  was  shortly  after- 
wards cashed  at  Coutts'  by  his  valet. 

The  earl  rather  coldly  bid  him  good  day,  and  drove 
to  his  mansion  in  Grosvenor-square. 

Lord  Fitzherbert  felt  his  mind  greatly  relieved,  for 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  247 

the  loan  had  saved  him  from  immediate  ruin ;  but  the 
words  of  the  Jew  had  considerably  alarmed  him,  although 
he  did  not  fully  comprehend  their  meaning;  but  he 
knew  he  had  carelessly  used  the  name  of  the  Earl  of 
Shropshire  in  the  presence  of  the  cunning  Israelite,  who, 
as  the  reader  is  aware,  had  vaguely  threatened  him  with 
exposure ;  he  knew  the  earl  was  quite  unaware  that  his 
expected  future  son-in-law  was  a  victim  to,  or  rather  had 
victimized  the  money-lenders,  and  involved  his  name  in 
these  transactions.  Had  the  earl  known  this  his  rage 
would  have  been  uncontrollable,  and  this  Lord  Fitzher- 
bert  knew  full  well,  and  consequently  his  mind  was  ill 
at  ease,  notwithstanding  the  temporary  relief  afforded  by 
the  loan  from  Lord  Alton. 


CHAPTEE  XXYI. 

Sad  news  from  abroad — "  When  rogues  fall  out"  &c. — Ex- 
planations of  rascally  dealings. 

THE  day  fixed  for  the  settlement  of  the  suit  Fitzher- 
bert  vs.  Fitzherbert,  in  the  Ecclesiastical  Court,  Doctor's 
Commons,  drew  near  ;  but  just  when  everything  seemed 
progressing  favorably  for  the  conspirators,  Cheatern  was 
overwhelmed  with  consternation,  on  learning  from  a  pri- 
vate source,  (for  he  had  a  spy  in  the  vessel  on  board  of 
which  Adolphus  had  been  kidnapped),  that  the  youth 
had  received  his  discharge  at  Malta. 

The  seaman  who  had  sent  this  information,  knew 
nothing  of  the  reason  of  the  discharge,  but  he  stated 
briefly  that  Adolphus  had  saved  the  life  of  a  young 
American  lady,  and  on  the  following  day  had  gone  on 
shore  with  the  Captain,  to  see  the  admiral,  and  had  then 
received  his  discharge  papers,  and  he  had  learnt  that  he 
had  subsequently  left  Malta  in  company  with  the  lady 
whom  he  had  saved  from  drowning,  and  her  party  ;  he 


248  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

believed  they  had  gone  to  Naples,  on  their  way  back  to 
England,  and  this  was  all  he  knew  of  the  matter. 

About  the  same  time  Mr.  Hughes  and  I  received  let- 
ters, dated  from  Malta,  from  Adolphus,  giving  us  the 
particulars  of  his  impressment,  as  it  may  be  termed, 
and  informing  us  of  all  that  had  transpired  besides,  with 
which,  however,  the  reader  is  already  acquainted. 

In  the  packet  of  letters,  there  was  one  which  we 
looked  upon  with  sad  feelings — it  was  directed  to  "  Miss 
Georgiana  Fitzherbert,"  and  was  taken  in  charge  by 
Mrs.  Hughes.  "No  doubt,"  thought  we,  "  it  contains 
expressions  of  the  deep  brotherly  love  the  poor  lad  feels 
for  his  sister;  and  where  is  she?  A  sad  disappoint- 
ment awaits  him  upon  his  arrival  in  England.  It  seems 
as  though  fortune  had  especially  made  these  poor  chil- 
dren her  football  to  kick  hither  and  thither,  as  malicious 
fancy  tempts  her."  The  letters  from  Adolphus  to  our- 
selves, however,  were  a  strong  point  in  our  favor,  espe- 
cially as  Mr.  Hughes  had  hopes  of  yet  getting  the  case 
out  of  the  fatherly  care  of  the  Lord  Chancellor,  and 
causing  it  to  be  tried  before  a  civil  court  in  the  county 
in  which  the  property  in  litigation  was  situated.  But  I 
must  not  anticipate  this  portion  of  my  narrative,  as  it 
was  left  to  Messrs.  Gripes  and  Cheatem  in  due  time  to 
make  the  discovery  that  Mr.  Hughes  had  succeeded  in 
effecting  this,  and  thus  not  only  postponed  the  decision 
they  were  so  anxious  to  hurry  forward,  but  completely 
overthrown  their  plans  of  privacy  in  the  method  of  con- 
ducting the  case. 

On  the  receipt  of  the  letter  alluded  to  above,  Cheatem 
lost  no  time  in  hurrying  to  his  employer,  Gripes,  whom 
he  found  at  his  office  perusing,  with  a  very  serious  face, 
a  letter  he  had  just  received  by  mail. 

"  A  pretty  mess  you  have  made  of  it,  Cheatem,"  said 
Gripes,  as  the  former  entered  the  office ;  "  I  never  heard 
of  such  a  bungling  piece  of  business  before.  You  have 
got  yourself  into  a  pretty  pickle,  for  I  wash  my  hands 
of  having  anything  to  do  with  the  abduction.  That  part 
of  the  business  rests  with  you.  However,  your  bungling 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  249 

has  very  probably   lost  our  clients   the  suit  into  the 

•    f» 
bargain. 

"  It  may  not  be  so  bad  as  you  think,"  replied  Cheatem, 
rather  astonished  to  find  that  Gripes  had  got  the  news 
as  soon  as  he ;  "  the  young  man,  to  be  sure,  has  man- 
aged to  get  his  discharge,  but  it  may  be  from  some  rea- 
son altogether  extraneous  from  this  matter  ;  besides,  he 
is  probably  still  in  Italy,  and  before  he  can  get  here  the 
suit  will  be  decided,  and  then  we  shall  be  all  right.  Let 
them  fight  it  out  among  themselves  afterwards." 

"  What  the  deuce  are  you  talking  about,  you  fool," 
exclaimed  Gripes,  in  a  paroxysm  of  rage ;  "  who  is 
speaking  of  the  young  man  and  his  discharge.  The 
man's  mad !  Here  is  a  letter  from  Turin,  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Signora  Tirozzi,  informing  me  that  the  girl 
has  by  some  means  escaped  from  the  convent,  and  has 
thrown  herself,  as  she  believes,  on  the  protection  of 
some  English  family  who  are  travelling  in  Italy.  A 
pretty  mess  you  have  made  of  it,  indeed." 

"  The  girl  escaped  from  the  convent !  the  girl  escaped 
from  the  convent!"  muttered  Cheatem,  thoroughly 
frightened  by  this  fresh  piece  of  intelligence. 

"Yes,  sir — the  girl  has  escaped  from  the  convent, 
thanks  to  your  infernal  mismanagement,  and  here  you 
come  to  me  with  a  long  rigmarole  story  about  the  young 
man  having  got  his  discharge  from  the  seventy-four. 
What  do  you  mean,  sir?  have  your  senses  left  you  alto- 
gether ?  Will  you  please  to  speak  and  explain  yourself," 
continued  Gripes,  as  Cheatem  still  stood,  apparently  pa- 
ralyzed by  the  news  he  had  heard. 

"Mr.  Gripes,"  he  said  at  length,  "I  have  received  a 
letter  from  Malta,  this  morning,  informing  me  that  young 
Fitzherbert  has  obtained  his  discharge  from  the  man-of- 
war,  and  it  was  this  I  came  to  inform  you  of  when  you 
met  me  with  such  a  fury  of  passion.  I  was  not  aware  of 
your  having  also  received  a  letter  from  Italy.  Dear 
me  I  this  is  unpleasant  intelligence,  indeed  !" 

"  The  young  man  escaped  too,,  eh  ?  Well,  really, 
Cheatem,  I  congratulate  you  on  your  address  in  mana- 
11* 


250  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

ging  these  matters.  Admirably  managed  upon  my  word! 
There  is  a  fine  field  for  legal  practice,  I  understand,  at 
Botany  Bay,  to  which  distant  penal  colony  you  are  in  a 
fait  way  of  paying  a  visit,  Mr.  Cheatem,  unless,  indeed, 
you  should  grace  the  gallows  at  the  Old  Bailey,  in  which 
case  the  journey  would  be  spared  you.  I  would  give 
you  a  piece  of  good  advice,  Mr.  Cheatem :  take  passage 
in  the  first  vessel  that  sails  for  America,  while  you  have 
it  in  your  power  to  be  a  free  agent.  Even  I  may  find  it 
necessary  to  bear  testimony  against  you.  Once  let  these 
young  people  arrive  in  England  and  the  game  is  up  with 
you.  Take  my  advice  and  make  yourself  scarce  as  soon 
as  possible." 

"  And  so  throw  all  the  suspicion  upon  myself  by  my 
flight  when  the  matter  comes  to  be  inquired  into,  and 
leave  you  to  white-wash  yourself  and  blacken  my  repu- 
tation as  you  please,"  replied  Cheatem,  stung  to  anger 
by  the  taunts  of  Gripe. 

"  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  business,  nothing  at 
all,  I  tell  you.  I  told  you  so  before,  and  I  repeat  it. 
You  kidnapped  the  young  man ;  you  forged  the  letters 
which  led  to  the  abduction  of  the  girl ;  you  managed 
the  business  with  Signora  Tirozzi ;  and  Mr.  Cheatem,  I 
I  have  your  acknowledgment  in  black  and  white  that  I 
know  not  for  what  purpose  you  required  the  money.  I 
don't  know,  indeed,  that  it  is  not  my  duty  to  cause  you 
to  be  arrested  sir ;  for  your  name  is  mentioned  in  this 
letter  of  Tirozzi's  as  having  been  an  accomplice  in  the 
abduction  of  the  young  woman." 

Cheatem  by  a  sudden  movement  endeavored  to  snatch 
the  letter  from  the  hand  of  Gripe,  who,  however,  was  too 
quick  for  him,  and  both  the  villains,  perhaps  equally  ap- 
prehensive of  future  consequences,  stood  gazing  at  each 
other  with  an  expression  of  diabolical  malice  upon  their 
sinister  features. 

Gripe  at  length  broke  the  silence,  and  endeavoring  to 
assume  a  conciliatory  tone,  he  said  : 

"  Cheatem,  I  may  have  been  too  hasty ;  there  is  time 
enough  yet  to  prevent  matters  coming  to  an  issue  be- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  251 

tween  us,  and  while  we  can,  Jet  us  be  friends.  *  The  case 
comes  up  in  the  Court  of  Chancery  in  three  days'  time. 
So  far  everything  is  prepared  for  a  successful  issue.  The 
documentary  evidence  is  all  in  our  favor.  Once  let  the 
property  come  into  the  possession  of  the  two  young  per- 
sons who  represent  the  real  heirs,  and  thence  into  the 
hands  of  Lord  Alton,  and  we  shall  be  well  remunerated 
for  the  part  we  have  taken  in  prosecuting  the  claims  of 
the  young  people,  and  then  we  may  snap  our  fingers  at 
what  happens  afterwards.  A  few  years'  residence  abroad 
— say  in  the  south  of  France,  with  £10,000,  would  not 
be  objectionable  to  you,  Cheatem,  and  we  could  silence 
Wilkins  by  threats  and  the  promise  of  a  better  situation, 
and  then,  you  absent  from  the  country,  no  trouble  could 
arise  out  of  the  business,  you  understand,  and  after  a  time 
all  would  be  forgotten.  The  young  Fitzherberts  might 
do  their  worst,  and  the  lawyers,  whoever  they  are,  who 
are  urging  on  their  claims." 

"  It  is  we  and  ws,"  said  Cheatem,  as  yet  not  quite  paci- 
fied, "  when  it  comes  to  money  matters,  in  speaking  of 
this  business,  but  I  am  to  bear  all  the  burden  of  disgrace 
and  infamy  that  may  arise  out  of  it  alone." 

"  Well  well,  Cheatem,  we  were  both  a  little  hasty. 
Matters  looked  a  little  black  at  first ;  but  I  fancy  I  can 
see  the  way  clear  through.  Let  us  say  no  more  on  that 
subject." 

"  With  respect  to  Wilkins,"  said  Cheatem,  "the  sheet 
of  paper  I  have  possession  of  will  effectually  keep  him 
quiet :  however,  I  am  not  opposed,  if  the  business  is  once 
fairly  settled,  to  doing  something  for  him  to  put  a  still 
closer  seal  upon  his  lips." 

"  Well,  we  will  talk  of  that  some  other  time ;  let  us 
now  to  business.  All  the  latest  documents  must  be  co- 
pied to-morrow,  so  that  everything  may  be  in  readiness 
for  Thursday,"  and  the  two  lawyers  set  to  work  in  ar- 
ranging things  to  their  satisfaction. 

While  engaged  in  conversation  on  the  subject  of  the 
approaching  law  suit,  Cheatem  observed: 

''  By  the  way,  Gripes,  deeply  as  I  have  been  involved 


252  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;   OR, 

in  this  btteiness,  I  could  never  yet  understand  for  what 
reason  it  was  necessary  to  bring  these  false  claimants  of 
the  estates  into  the  field.  The  question  it  appears  to 
me,  relates  to  the  possession  of  the  estates  by  the  Earl 
of  Shropshire  instead  of  the  heirs  Fitzherbert.  For  what 
reason  then  does  the  earl  wish  the  false  claimants  to  gain 
the  suit?  I  have  been  all  along  in  the  dark  on  this 
subject." 

"  I  will  enlighten  you,"  replied  Gripe.  "  The  estates 
belong  of  right  to  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  who,  whilst  a 
mere  youth,  in  a  fit  of  spleen  occasioned  by  some  threat 
made  by  the  earl,  threw  up  his  claims  in  disgust,  after 
having  applied  to  me  to  know  whether  the  earl  had  told 
him  the  truth  respecting  the  flaw  in  the  title  deeds. 
While  in  conversation  with  him,  after  having  led  him  to 
believe  that  the  title  deeds  were  not  good,  I  managed  to 
get  him  to  write  a  letter  to  the  earl  relinquishing  his 
claims,  and  in  a  taunting  way,  for  he  was  a  lad  of  spirit, 
he  added,  '  and  your  lordship  can  settle  the  estates  on 
my  half  brother,  upon  his  marrying  Lady  Mary,  whom 
you  seek  to  fasten  upon  me.' " 

"  Is  this  your  will  respecting  this  property  ?"  said  I. 

"  '  It  is,'  he  replied  bitterly,  '  a  will  by  which  I  leave 
property  to  which  it  appears  I  have  no  right,  to  my  half 
brother,  on  certain  conditions  that  I  would  not  bind  my- 
self to  for  the  wealth  of  the  Indies.' 

"  I  pretended  to  be  disgusted  at  the  conduct  of  the 
earl  in  this  matter,  and  told  Herbert  it  would  be  a  good 
jest  to  make  out  a  testamentary  form  to  this  effect  and 
send  it  to  his  guardian.  This  he  did,  and  so  the  matter 
stands.  Herbert  never  troubled  himself  further  about 
the  business.  He  went  out  to  America  after  having 
married  a  physician's  daughter  at  Canterbury,  and  died 
there." 

"  Still  that  does  not  explain  wherefore  the  earl,  with 
this  will  in  his  possession,  should  wish  these  false  claim- 
ants to  obtain  possession  of  the  property.  Indeed  neither 
they  nor  the  real  Fitzherberts  have  any  claim  that  I  can 
see." 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  253 

"  The  Fitzherberts  have  a  claim.  Herbert  was  not  of 
age  when  he  affixed  his  signature  to  this  will,  and  it  is 
worthless.  He  was,  however,  approaching  the  period 
cf  his  majority,  and  no  one  but  the  earl's  heirs  would 
discover  the  truth  as  regards  this.  Therefore,  these 
false  claimants  having  obtained  possession  against  the 
Crown,  which  ha?,  in  fact,  no  claim,  but  a  spurious  one 
purposely  created  by  the  Earl  of  Shropshire,  after  he 
discovered  the  obstinacy  of  his  ward,  the  earl  will  pro- 
duce the  will  of  Herbert.  Of  course,  they  will  be  paid 
for  the  part  they  have  played,  and  the  earl  quietly  takes 
possession  of  the  property  in  behalf  of  his  daughter  on 
her  marriage  with  Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert.  If  the  real 
Fitzherberts  gained  the  suit,  and  were  to  be  ousted  by 
this  will,  they  would  naturally  institute  inquiries  by 
which  they  would  discover  that  their  father  was  a  minor 
when  he  signed  it,  and  thus  render  it  valueless.  Hence 
the  necessity  of  destroying  the  identity  of  the  real  Fitz- 
herberts ;  and  this  can  only  be  done  by  keeping  them 
out  of  the  way — rendering  them  non  est  inventus  when 
the  suit  is  called  up.  They  not  being  present,  the  suit 
Fitzherbert  vs.  Fitzherbert  falls  to  the  ground,  and  it  is 
merely  Fitzherbert  vs.  the  Crown.  Here  the  suit  can  be 
easily  won  by  the  personators  of  the  real  Fitzherberts, 
who,  in  the  absence  of  the  others,  will  be  able,  through 
the  measures  that  have  been  taken,  legally  to  establish 
their  identity,  for,  as  I  have  said,  the  claim  of  the 
Crown  is  a  mere  fiction  adopted  by  the  earl  at  my  sug- 
gestion." 

"  Why,  then,  has  the  earl  so  long  delayed  his 
schemes  t"  < 

"  Because  he  wished  the  overthrow  of  the  Fitzher- 
berts to  be  complete ;  therefore  he  waited  until  time  had 
elapsed  for  the  heirs  of  Herbert,  had  he  any,  or  were 
they  living,  to  attain  their  majority ;  otherwise  it  might 
have  been  managed  years  ago.  We  were,  furthermore, 
in  hopes  that  by  this  delay  the  real  heirs,  if  in  existence, 
could  not  be  found,  in  which  case  their  personification 
by  others  would  have  been  unnecessary.  In  this  we 


254  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

were  disappointed,  as  the  agent  sent  to  America  dis 
covered  that  they  were  living,  and  immediately  set  to 
work  to  personify  them  by  means  of  others.  Besides, 
the  property  has,  during  all  these  years,  been  accumu- 
lating until  it  has  reached  an  enormous  amount.  Then 
there  is  said  to  be  certain  confiscated  property  in  Vir- 
ginia, which  the  earl  intends,  in  the  name  of  Adolphus 
Fitzherbert,  to  sue  that  state  for  re-possession  of.  Such 
things  have  been  done  successfully  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  why  not  again  in  Virginia?  The  property 
was  purchased  by  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  and  confiscated 
during  the  war  of  1812-'14  ;  but  that  will  be  matter  for 
future  action.  We  must  get  the  present  suit  settled 
first." 

"  It  is  a  complex  affair  apparently,  and  yet  simple 
enough  when  explained,"  said  Cheatem.  "  The  earl, 
however,  is  as  deep  in  the  mire  as  any  of  us." 

"  Yes,  but  he  has  so  managed  as  to  prevent  almost  the 
possibility  of  suspicion  resting  on  him,  unless  through 
some  very  untoward  accident." 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  hope  that  a  few  days  more  will 
settle  the  business." 

Cheatem  was  j  ust  on  the  point  of  taking  his  depart- 
ure when  the  office  boy  appeared  with  the  evening 
paper. 

"  I  wonder  if  there  is  anything  relative  to  this  business 
in  the  legal  news,"  said  Gripes,  taking  the  paper  from 
the  boy,  and  running  his  eyes  over  the  columns. 
"Damnation!"  he  exclaimed,  "whoever  it  is  that  is 
interested  in  the  Fitzherberts  is  worrying  us  closely. 
Confound  it !  the  case  is  taken  out  of  Chancery,  and  is 
to  be  tried  by  civil  process  at  Huntingdon.  There  will 
be  a  week's  delay  at  least ;  besides  the  annoyance  of 
having  to  plead  in  person.  This,  too,  after  everything 
had  been  so  nicely  arranged.  It  is  really  too  bad. 
Fortune  appears  bent  upon  persecuting  us.  Still  they 
can  scarcely  reach  England,  I  should  hope,  before  tho 
Assizes  open  at  Huntingdon,  and  once  keep  them  back, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  265 

and  success  is  certain.     Let  us  hope  for  the  best,  at  any 
rate." 

Thus  terminated  the  interview  of  the  two  lawyers, 
which  had  commenced  so  fiercely,  but  which,  they  re- 
cognizing the  axiom  that  "  when  rogues  fall  out,  honest 
men  get  their  rights,"  had  terminated  in  such  apparent 
union  and  friendship. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Village  gossip. 

I  AGAIN  introduce  the  reader  to  the  village  of  Hem- 
mingford.  It  is  evening,  as  it  was,  when  in  fancy,  we 
heretofore  visited  this  quiet,  rural  retreat,  and,  as  custo- 
mary, a  group  of  village  gossipers  have  met  in  Dame 
Harris's  cottage,  to  discuss  the  events  of  the  day.  I 
should  have  mentioned  that  Harris  was  the  post-mistress 
of  the  village,  and  although  her  duties  were  not  very 
arduous,  the  mail  bag,  which  she  fetched  into  the  village 
from  the  county  town  of  Huntingdon,  about  four  miles 
distant,  in  a  donkey  cart,  twice  a  week,  along  with  her 
marketing,  seldom  containing  more  than  half  a  dozen, 
or,  at  the  most,  a  dozen  letters ;  yet  the  very  fact  of  her 
holding  the  appointment  gave  her  considerable  influence 
among  the  village  friends,  besides  which  she  really  did 
manage,  in  the  course  of  her  visits  to  the  post-office,  to 
pick  up  a  considerable  quantity  of  heterogeneous  informa- 
tion which  she  made  the  most  of  when  engaged  in  deal^ 
ing  it  out  piecemeal  to  her  interested  audience. 

"  What  be  t'news  i'  the  town  to-day,  dame?"  inquired 
an  old  man  who  was  seated  in  the  corner  of  the  ample 
fire-place.  "  I  seed  thee  a  passin'  i'  the  donkey  cart  as 
I  war  a  putten  up  t'plow,  an'  thou  stopped  at  Dame 
Draper's  cottage.  I  know'd  there  was  surnmat  stirring, 
for  t'old  dame  be  main  fond  o'  hearin'  news,  and  thou 
and  she  had  a  mighty  long  confab  together.  So  arter  I 


256  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

I  had  gotten  my  supper,  I  says  to  my  old  woman, 
'  Mother,'  says  I,  '  I'll  een  go  down  t' village  and  see 
whatten  news  Dame  Harris  has  got  ?'  and  Bet,  she  says, 
'  Aye,  go  fey ther  and  tell  us  when  thou  comes  back  if 
there  be  anything  fresh  a-stirring.  There  doant  be  much 
news  now-a-days.'  So  I  een  put  on  my  hat  and  put  my 
pipe  in  my  pocket,  and  as  I  passed  the  '  public,'  I  hap- 
pened in,  and  had  a  gill  o'  yill,  and  got  my  pouch  filled 
with  bacca,  so  that  I  might  pass  away  an  hour  or  two 
cosey  and  comfortable  loike." 

"Then,  if  thou's  just  gotten  thy  pouch  filled,  thou 
canst  give  a  body  t'small  matter  of  a  pipeful,  for  blow 
me  if  I've  had  a  smoke  to-day,"  said  a  young  man  in 
the  room,  pulling  a  short,  black  pipe  from  his  hat- 
band. 

"  Aye,  lad,  thou'rt  welcome  to  a  pipe  o'  'bacca ;  but 
thou  shouldst  save  thy  haa-pence  and  buy  'bacca  for  thy- 
self. Thou'st  always  a-cadging  from  other  voalk,  and 
that's  a  bad  sign  in  a  lad  like  thee." 

"  Nay,  fey  ther,  doan't  thou  be  a  snudgin'  me  this  a 
ways,"  exclaimed  the  youth,  rilling  his  pipe,  at  the  same 
time,  from  the  old  man's  pouch.  "  Tell  thee  what  I'll 
do.  I'll  een  stand  sixpence  for  a  mug  o'  yill.  What 
says  thou  to  that  ?" 

"  Well,  lad,  I've  no  objection  to  a  mug  o'  yill,  for  it's 
dry  work  smoking  and  talking  without  a  drop  o'  yill  to 
wash  a  chap's  throat  down  with ;  but  Lor'  bless  you ! 
what's  a  mug  or  two  mugs  o'  yill  'mong  so  many  voalks 
as  be  here  to-night  ?" 

"  Well,  then,  feyther,  we'll  make  a  gathering  and  send 
for  a  gallon,"  and  the  youth  went  round  among 
the  assembly,  hat  in  hand,  to  receive  their  penny  sub- 
scriptions, having  first  deposited  his  own  sixpence  in  the 
hat,  and  the  requisite  sum  for  the  purchase  of  a  gallon 
of  ale,  and  a  little  tobacco  besides,  having  been  obtained, 
Dame  Harris's  niece  Sally  was  sent  out  to  the  village 
public  house,  or,  as  it  was  styled  in  village  parlance,  the 
"  public,"  to  procure  the  refreshments. 

Meanwhile,  several  new  comers  had  dropped  into  tbo 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  257 

dame's  hospitable  cottage,  among  whom  were  our  former 
acquaintances,  Sam  Watson  and  Jim  Boulton ;  the  latter 
of  whom,  it  will  be  recollected,  had  gone  to  sea  with  the 
son  of  Squire  Tapley,  when  he  went  his  first  voyage  as 
a  midshipman,  and  had  enlightened  Sam  Watson  so  much 
respecting  America. 

The  young  midshipman  had  gone  to  sea  again,  but  Jim 
had  staid  behind,  and  now  was  hired  as  an  in-door  ser- 
vant or  a  kind  of  half-footman,  half-farming  man,  in  the 
squire's  family. 

"Sam,  how  dost  thou,  lad?  How  dost  thee,  Jim?" 
was  the  greeting  of  the  company,  as  the  two  young  mer 
made  their  appearance. 

"  Jim,"  said  the  young  fellow  who  had  made  the  re 
quest  for  the  tobacco  of  the  old  man,  "  a  sight  o'  thee's 
good  for  sore  eyes,  lad;  sin'  thou's  gotten  into  the 
squoire's  family  thou  holds  thy  head  mighty  stiff. 
What  with  thy  going  till  'Merica  with  squoire's  son, 
and  then  being  made  in-door  sarvant,  thou  thinks 
thou's  gotten  to  be  above  poor  voalks.  Dash  me,  what 
a  plaguey  foine  waistcoat  thou's  got  on,  all  cross-bars, 
goold  and  scarlet.  Moy  eyes  I  but  thou  cuts  a  swell — 
doant  thou." 

"  I  know  thou'rt  only  a  jokin',  Bill  Spooley,"  replied 
Jirn ;  '•  but  to  tell  God's  truth,  it's  mighty  little  time  I 
get  to  go  a  visiting,  sin'  I've  been  in  the  squoire's  family  ; 
there  be  so  much  to  do  in  the  house,  and  the  new  butler 
be  a  mighty  queer  sort  of  a  chap.  He  keeps  a  fellow 
pretty  hard  at  work,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  Aye,  he  be  one  of  your  foine  gentlemen  from  Lun- 
nun,  beant  he,  Jim  ?"  said  another.  "  He  holds  his 
head  mighty  stiff  There,  as  if  he  couldn't  stoop  to  look  at 
poor  voalks.  They  be  powerful  proud,  them  Lunnun 
sarvants." 

"And  they  do  say,"  said  another,  "that  he  be  castin' 
'sheep's  eyes'  at  Fanny  Watson,"  (Fanny  Watson  was 
the  sister  of  Sam  Watson,  who  has  been  introduced  to 
the  readei*,  and  was  the  belle  of  the  village.)  "  They 
say  't  gard'ner's  e'en  a  most  crazy  about  it,  for  ho 


258  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

has  been  looking  after  pretty  Fanny  for  many  a  day ; 
and  now  this  here  Lunnun  jackanapes  be  come,  Bob 
shaves  himself  and  blacks  his  boots  every  morning,  to 
make  him  look  as  smart  as  the  butler ;  but  the  gals  is 
fond  o'  finery,  and  I  guess  the  Lunnuner  '11  carry  off  the 
prize.  T?  butler  guv  Fan,  a  foine  new  sash  riband  t'other 
day,  and  a  tortus  shell  comb  e'en  a  most  as  big  as  my 
hand." 

"  I'd  thank  thou  to  hold  thy  tongue  about  moy  sister, 
Master  Dick,"  said  Sam  Watson  to  the  young  man  who 
had  last  spoken.  "  Fanny  cares  nought  either  for  gar- 
d'ner  Bob,  nor  yet  for  t'  Squoire's  new  butler.  Fan. 
looks  for  a  better  match  for  either.  Squoire's  son  tell'd 
her  when  he  was  at  home,  that  she  was  pretty  enough 
to  be  a  foine  lady — and  prettier  than  half  the  foine  ladies 
he  met  in  Lunnun;  and  as  for  that  powdered  jacka- 
napes, the  Lunnun  butler,  dash  moy  wig !  if  I  catched 
him  palavering  to  moy  sister  Fanny,  if  I  wouldn't  kick 
him  with  my  hob  nail  shoes  in  the  seat  of  his  red  plush 
breeches  till  he  wished  himself  back  in  Lunnun  again." 

"  Ah !  Sam,  lad, "  said  the  old  man  who  had  been 
sitting  in  the  corner,  quietly  smoking  his  pipe,  and  list- 
ening to  the  conversation  that  had  been  going  on.  "  Ah  ! 
Sam,  lad,  thou  should'st  put  such  silly  notions  out  of 
thy  sister's  head  as  listenin'  to  the  fine  words  of  squoire's 
son.  Believe  an  old  man ;  when  gentlemen  like  he, 
whisper  soft  words  in  the  ears  of  the  daughters  of  their 
fey  ther's  tenants,  especially  if  the  girls  be  pretty,  it  bodes 
them  no  good.  Take  my  advice  Sam ;  gard'ner  Bob's 
a  good,  honest  young  fellow,  and  Ipves  thy  sister,  and 
has  loved  her  for  a  main  long  spell.!  thee  get  her  to 
marry  un  'afore  t'squoire's  son  comes  back  again,  and 
thee  and  she'll  both  be  glad  on't.  They  sailor  chaps, 
especially  when  they  be  gentlemens  sons,  beant  to  be 
trusted  whisperin'  love  stories  into  the  ears  o'poor  gals. 
As  for  you  scaramouch  of  a  Lunnun  butler,  thou  must'nt 
be  after  misusing  on  him,  but  God  forbid  I  should  see 
thy  pretty  sister  Fanny,  marry  such  as  he,  lad!" 

"  But  this  beant  no  news,"  said  the  old  man,  who  had 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  259 

come  in  from  the  outskirts  of  the  village  to  hear  the 
news  and  carry  it  home  to  his  wife  Betsy.  "  T'assizes, 
be  a  comin  on  in  a  day  or  two,  and  I'll  be  bound  Dame 
Harris  when  she  was  in  Huntingdon  to-day  heerd  sum- 
mat  worth  tellin  on,  for  I  seed  her  stop  at  Dame  Draper's 
as  she  came  home  to-night,  and  I'se  warrant  she  didn't 
stop  there  for  nought." 

"  Aye,  t'assizes,  sure  enow  do  come  on  in  a  day  or 
two ;  they  say  t' Judge  came  on  yesterday,  and  be  a 
stopping  at  lady  Shepherd's  'till  the  opening  day,"  said 
one  of  the  company,  "  Dame ;  dids't  hear  ought  'bout 
t'assizes  when  thou  was  to  Huntingdon  to-day." 

"  Deed  then,  I  did  Feyther  Hodges.  I  heer'd  that 
forby  the  trial  o'Tim  Larkins  for  robbing  farmer  Dain- 
tree's  hayricks,  and  stealing  farmer  Gidding's  horse,  and 
the  trial  o'Bill  Stukely  for  murderin'  the  old  woman  in 
Brompton  hollow,  there  be  another  mighty  powerful 
trial  a  commin'  on  that'll  bring  some  o'the  best  lawyer 
chaps  from  Lunnun,  down  till  Huntingdonshire." 

"  And  what  be  that,  dame  ?"  exclaimed  half  a  dozen 
voices  at  once,  "  tell  us,  what  be  that  ?"  "  Aye,  and 
take  a  horn  o'yill  afore  thou  tells  us,  for  this  smoke  must 
make  thy  throat  dry,"  said  the  old  man,  cunningly,  in 
order  to  tempt  the  old  woman  to  tell  the  news,  for  she- 
had  been  slightly  offended  at  so  much  of  the  conver- 
sation, being  monopolized  by  others  in  her  own  house. 
Dame  Harris  took  the  horn  of  ale  from  the  hands  of 
the  old  man,  and  having  drank  it,  she  said  : 

"  Well,  then,  lads,  the  trial  that  I  speak  of,  be  that 
of  the  Brampton  Manor  property.  Some  do  say  as 
these  voalks  that  was  down  here  some  time  ago ;  thou 
recollects  when,  beant  the  real  owners  of  the  property 
after  all,  and  that  other  voalks  ayont  the  seas  be  a 
comin'  over  to  appear  agin  'em,  and  other  voalks  say 
as  how  they  do  be  corned  over;  but  nobody  knows 
\\here  they  be.  They  say  they've  been  spirited  away 
loike  by  the  lawyer  chaps  as  be  engaged  in  the  trial 
at  the  sizes;  and  then  agin,  1  heerd  some  voalk  say 
as  there  beant  no  such  persons,  and  that  it  be  only  a 


260  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

trick  of  some  'cute  Lunnun  lawyers  to  keep  the  young 
voalks  as  was  down  here,  out  o'  their  rights.  1  don't 
know  what  to  make  on't  for  moy  part ;  but  there  ap- 
pears to  be  queer  goings  on  'mongst  the  gentle  voalks, 
that  circumvents  poor  voalk  like  we,  altogether." 

"  And  be  the  young  gentleman  and  lady  in  Hunt- 
ingdon now,  dame  ?"  asked  one  of  the  company. 

"  Aye,  be  they,  lad,  they  coomed  down  from  Lunnun 
on  t'coach  this  morning.  I  seed  'em  get  out  and  go 
into  the  King's  Arms  hotel,  and  there  was  a  mighty 
cunning  lawyer  chap  along  with  'em,  as  looked  for  all 
the  world  as  though  he  could  see  through  a  body  with 
his  little,  glittering  black  eyes.  Mr.  Barker,  the  post- 
master, tell't  me  as  his  name  was  Cheatem,  and  that  he 
was  a  great  Lunnun  'torney,  who  was  to  proceed  in  this 
trial ;  but,  lads,  mark  old  dame  Harris'  words.  That 
lawyer  chap  be  a  rascal,  if  there  be  one  on  yarth,  and 
they  would-be  gentle  voalks,  bean't  no  real  gentle  voalks, 
at  all — set  'em  up  for  gentle  voalks,  indeed !  and  never 
said  so  much  as  "  How  d'ye  do,  dame  Harris !"  when 
they  was  down  here  before,  and  squoire  introduced  me 
to  'em.  It  takes  me  to  know  real  gentle  voalks,  as  has 
lived  gal  and  woman,  at  Lady  Spatter's  and  at  Lord 
Hinchenbroke's  a  matter  of  twenty  years  and  more.  Real 
gentle  voalks  never  looks  so  mum  and  skeery  at  the 
tenantry  when  they  bows  and  curt'sey's  to  'em,  as  they 
voalks  did ;  and  now  I  think  on't  that  same  lawyer 
chap,  or  one  very  much  like  him,  was  down  with  'em 
when  they  was  here  afore." 

"  Well,  dame,  all  /  hopes,"  said  the  old  man,  "  be, 
that  some  one  or  other  will  get  their  right  to  the  property 
settled,  for  it  be  a  mighty  fine  estate,  just,  as  a  body- 
may  say,  a  goin'  to  ruin  for  want  o'  'tention,  and  get  it 
who  may,  it  '11  make  work  mighty  plenty  next  year." 

"  Yes,  feyther,  as  thou  says,  it  will  be  a  powerful  good 
thing  for  laborin  voalk ;  but  some  how  or  'nother,  I  can't 
b'lieve  as  they  be  the  rightful  heirs." 

"  Perhaps  t'others  'ill  turn  up  afore  the  trial  comes 
on." 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  261 

"  Aye,  perhaps,  they  may,  though  there  beant  much 
time  for  'em  to  come  now,  if  so  be  as  they  beant  a  keep- 
ing themsen  quiet  till  the  day  o'  trial." 

"And  was  there  no  other  news  a  stirin  in  town, 
dame  ?" 

"  Yes,  there  was  the  talk  'bout  t'assize  ball,  and  the 
ladies  are  all  buying  new  dresses  for  it,  and  some  voalks 
was  a  saying  how  the  lord  judge  as  was  to  preside  at 
'assizes,  was  a  mighty  severe  man,  and  Stukely  was  sure 
to  be  hanged  if  so  be  as  he  be  found  guilty ;  but  the 
main  talk  was  this  trial  about  the  Brampton  estates ;  and 
they  all  do  say  as  the  young  voalks  sent  their  cards  to 
Lady  Spatter  and  Lord  Hinchinbroke  as  soon  as  they 
arrived  at  the  hotel.  Sen  'em  up — indeed ! — such  as  they 
to  be  sending  their  cards  to  real  lords  and  ladies." 

"  Well,  dame,  I  shall  wish  thou  good  even,  and  go 
home.  My  old  woman,  Bet,  '11  grow  skeery  if  I  stay 
any  longer.  Be'st  thou  a  going  over  to  town  to  see 
t'judge  open  t'assizes." 

"  Yes,  feyther,  I  think  I  shall  go.  It  '11  be  on  post- 
day,  thou  knows." 

"  Well,  then,  I  promised  my  old  woman  to  take  her 
to  Huntington  to  buy  a  new  gownd,  and  mayhap  thou'll 
gin  her  a  lift  i'  th'  cart,  and  I'll  walk  by  the  side  and 
lead  the  donkey." 

"  Aye,  to  be  sure,  feyther,  and  welcome." 

"Thankee!  dame.  Goodnight,"  said  the  old  man  as 
he  left  the  cottage. 

Shortly  afterwards  the  company  dispersed  and  retired 
to  their  homes,  chatting  as  they  went  over  the  news  they 
had  heard  and  of  the  assizes ;  for  the  assizes,  held  once 
in  six  months,  and  always  opened  by  the  Judge  and  the 
town  officials  with  great  form — the  judge  in  his  wig  and 
ermine  and  scarlet  robes  proceeding  to  the  court-house 
in  a  carriage  drawn  by  four  horses,  followed  by  the 
county  magistrates,  and  preceded  by  constables  and 
a  trumpeter  on  horseback — comprised  the  two  great 
events  of  the  year,  in  the  opinion  of  the  simple  villagers. 


262  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

News  from  the  Convent — The  Confessor's  advice  and  its 
results. 

IN  a  former  chapter  I  spoke  of  the  consternation  of 
Gripe  and  Cheatem  on  having  simultaneously  received 
intelligence  of  the  double  release  of  Adolphus  and 
Georgiana— the  one  from  his  imprisonment,  as  I  may 
justly  term  it,  on  board  the  seventy-four,  and  the  other 
from  her  incarceration  under  false  and  most  cruel  pre- 
tences in  the  convent  of  St.  Euphemia.  It  was  not  to  be 
expected  that  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  would  long  remain 
ignorant  of  these  occurrences — the  more  especially  as  his 
own  sister-in-law  was  Abbess  of  the  Convent,  and  it  was 
through  false  representations  on  his  part  that  the  pool 
victim  of  his  persecutions  had  been  received  by  the  Su- 
perior. 

The  Countess  de  Tivoli,  it  will  be  recollected,  had  re- 
commended, on  permitting  Georgiana  to  leave  the  con- 
vent under  the  protection  of  her  brother  and  aunt,  that 
for  some  time  at  least  the  affair  should  be  kept  secret,  in 
order  that,  no  suspicion  being  engendered,  no  plots  might 
be  hatched  by  the  Countess  de  Paoli's  accomplices  again 
to  obtain  possession  of  the  young  woman,  or  at  least 
subject  her  and  her  party  to  a  very  disagreeable  surveil- 
lance, in  a  country  where  the  Countess  de  Paoli  and  her 
friends  possessed  great  influence  and  where  the  laws 
were  administered  with  very  little  regard  to  justice ;  but 
as  soon  as  the  good  abbess  thought  she  had  allowed 
them  sufficient  time  to  get  beyond  the  borders  of  Italy, 
she  could  contain  her  indignation,  at  having  been  thus 
deceived  and  made  the  unwitting  and  unwilling  party  to 
a  gross  and  cruel  fraud,  no  longer.  About  the  time, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  263 

therefore,  that  Mrs.  Lyman  and  her  party  reached  Paris, 
for  they  traveled  leisurely,  the  Earl  received  a  letter  from 
his  sister-in-law,  which  ran  as  follows : — 

"  Convent  of  St.  Euphemia,  near  Turin,  Italy. 
"  To  the  Eight  Honorable  the  Earl  of  Shropshire,  K.  G. 
"  My  Lord: — It  is  with  mingled  feelings  of  indignation 
and  pity  that  I  now  address  your  lordship.  I  grieve  that 
you,  holding  the  lofty  and  honorable  position  of  a  British 
peer,  and  being  a  professed  pillar  arid  supporter  of  our 
Holy  Mother  Church,  and  the  living  representative  of  a 
long  line  of  noble  ancestors,  whose  fame  is  in  England 
nearly  coeval  with  the  Norman  conquest,  and  in  France 
with  the  days  of  the  high  and  chivalrous  Charlemagne ; 
and  who,  notwithstanding  my  vows  which  sever  me  from, 
all  earthly  ties,  I  cannot  forget,  was  the  husband  of  my 
lamented  sister,  could  have  descended  from  your  high 
estate,  so  low,  as  to  be  guilty  of  falsehood,  meanness,  and 
cruelty.  I  received  a  short  time  since  an  autograph  let- 
ter from  your  lordship  by  the  hands  of  a  woman  who 
stated  her  name  to  be  Tirozzi,  recommending  to  my 
care  a  young  female,  said  to  be  of  unsound  mind,  and 
the  unconscious  tool  of  wicked  and  designing  men,  who 
were  plotting  evil  to  my  dear  niece,  Lady  Mary  Alton. 
My  lord,  believing  your  lordship  to  be  the  soul  of  honor, 
I  gave  credence  to  the  statements  you  made  in  the  letter, 
alhough  I  was  led  to  mistrust  the  asseverations  of  the 
woman  Tirozzi;  and,  although  against  the  rules  of  the 
convent,  I,  in  pity  to  the  poor  child,  whom  I  believed  to 
be  misled,  and  through  deficiency  of  intellect,  not  to  be 
an  accountable  agent  in  the  devices  of  evil  minded  per- 
sons calculated  to  injure  my  niece,  consented  to  receive 
her  into  the  convent  of  which  1  have  the  honor  to  be  the 
superior,  and  placed  her  under  my  own  immediate  eye, 
in  the  hope  (for  I  fancied  I  saw  good  traits  in  the  child, 
notwithstanding  what  Tirozzi  said  and  what  was  stated 
in  your  letter)  that  the  quiet  seclusion  of  the  convent 
might  alleviate  her  disorder,  and  that  eventually  she 
might  recover  the  use  of  her  reason,  and  either  go  forth 


264  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

to  perform  a  part  of  usefulness  in  the  world,  or  devote 
herself  to  a  religious  life.  My  lord,  my  lord,  how  have  I 
been  deceived  ?  I  have  learnt,  by  proof  uncontroverti- 
ble,  that  not  only  were  the  statements  of  the  woman  Ti- 
rozzi  false,  but  false  likewise  were  the  statements  of  your 
lordship's  letter.  My  lord,  I  cannot  mince  my  words, 
and — as  is  the  way  of  people  abroad  in  the  world — speak 
equivocally, jmd  in  gilded  phrases ;  I  was  sought  to  be 
implicated  in  this  abominable  conspiracy,  the  character 
of  which,  I  have  partially,  yet  not  wholly  learnt,  and 
not  /  alone  my  lord,  but  through  me,  our  Holy  Church. 
My  lord,  it  does  not  become  me — a  humble  servant  of 
Christ  and  of  the  Holy  Church — to  sit  in  judgment  on 
the  sins  of  others,  who,  alas !  notwithstanding  my  seclu- 
sion from  the  vanities  and  frivolities  of  the  world,  have 
too  many  sins  of  commission  and  omission  of  my  own  to 
answer  for  and  to  weep  over ;  nevertheless,  I  pray  your 
lordship  to  consider  seriously  the  heinous  offence,  not 
,alone  in  the  eye  of  God,  but  in  the  eye  of  man  likewise, 
that  your  lordship  has  been  guilty  of,  and  to  repent 
while  yet  there  is  time.  My  lord,  let  it  not  be  said  that 
one  so  esteemed  by  our  Holy  Church  as  is  your  lordship, 
and  one  who,  from  his  high  position,  and  has  so  much 
influence  to  promote  the  welfare  or  to  brand  with  dis- 
grace that  Church,  has  been  guilty  of  this  deadly  sin, 
unrepented  of  and  unforgiven.  My  lord,  I  pray  you 
make  what  reparation  is  in  your  power  while  yet  there 
is  time.  Let  not  ambition — nay,  let  not  the  fear  of 
worldly  shame  blind  you  to  the  necessity  of  reparation, 
or  hinder  you  in  the  good  work.  Seek  counsel,  my 
lord,  where  it  may  best  be  found ;  seek  it  of  the  good 
Father  Anselmo.  He  will  not  direct  you  astray,  and  I 
pray  Heaven,  through  the  Holy  Virgin,  that  I  may  hear 
from  your  own  hand  that  you  have  repented  this  mis- 
deed. 

And  now,  my  lord,  I  wash  my  hands  of  this  sad  busi- 
ness. I  feel  that,  though  unwittingly,  I  have  been  led 
to  aid  in  the  furtherance  of  an  evil  action.  May  /  be 
forgiven,  as  I  pray  for  forgiveness  for  others.  I  have 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  265 

made  such  reparation  as  it  has  been  in  my  power  to 
make.  The  innocent  and  unfortunate  child  has  left  the 
convent  in  the  care  of  her  friends,  and  I  trust  will  have 
a  happy  journey  to  her  native  land.  I  can  do  no  more 
to  serve  her. 

With  many  and  earnest  hopes  and  prayers,  I  sign 
myself,  SISTER  ANASTHASIA, 

Superior  of  the  Convent  of  St.  Euphemia." 

Simultaneous  with  this  letter,  his  lordship  received 
another  from  Signora  Tirozzi,  informing  him  of  the  es- 
cape of  Georgiaria  from  the  convent,  and  also  that  Adol- 
phus  had  unaccountably  received  his  discharge  from  the 
man-of-war,  and  (for  this  woman  was  at  the  head  of  an 
army  of  intriguers  and  spies)  that  the  brother  and  sis- 
ter, in  company,  with  a  party  comprised  of  English  and 
American  travellers,  had  set  out  for  England,  via  France. 
"  They  had  already  crossed  the  frontier  of  Italy,"  said 
Signora  Tirozzi,  '•  before  I  was  aware  of  the  escape,  so 
secretly  was  it  planned.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  it 
would  have  gone  hard  but  I  would  have  found  some 
means  to  arrest,  or  at  least  to  delay  their  progress." 

Good  and  evil  news  generally  corne  in  a  sweeping 
avalanche ;  the  same  mail  brought  his  lordship  a  letter 
from  his  sister,  the  Countess  de  Paoli,  to  the  same  effect 
as  that  of  Signora  Tirozzi,  with  the  additional  informa- 
tion, that  the  countess  entertained  suspicions  of  the  re- 
cusance of  Sister  Maria,  heretofore  supposed  to  be  a 
staunch  and  incorruptible  adherent  to  the  dictates  of 
her  Superiors,  in  the  Order  to  which  she  had  plighted 
her  vows  of  obedience.  The  first  blow  falls  the  hea- 
viest. It  is  said  that  the  criminal  broken  alive  upon 
the  wheel  is  insensible  to  pain  from  the  reiterated 
blows  from  the  club  of  the  executioner;  the  physical 
ngony  has  been  concentrated  in  the  first  blow  ;  the 
rest  fall  unheeded  upon  the  mangled  body.  If  this  be 
true  with  regard  to  physical  torture,  it  is  not  less  true 
with  regard  to  mental  suf&ring.  The  earl  had  re- 
ceived the  first  intimation  of  this  unpleasant,  perhaj  s 

12 


266  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

ruinous  intelligence,  from  Gripes,  who  had  been  the  first 
to  obtain  the  letters  from  the  foreign  mail,  and  who  had 
hurried  to  his  lordship  (who  was  then  in  committee  in 
the  House  of  Lords)  with  the  intelligence.  Finding  his 
lordship  was  not  at  his  mansion  in  Grosvenor  Square, 
Gripes  had  thought  the  intelligence  of  sufficient  gravity 
and  importance,  even  to  warrant  the  dispatch  of  an  ex- 
press messenger  to  the  House  to  summon  his  lordship 
to  Grosvenor  Square ;  and  when  the  earl  arrived,  and 
was  informed  by  the  lawyer  of  the  mischances  that  had 
occurred,  he  felt  almost  paralysed  by  the  thoughts  of  the 
evil  that  brooded  over  him.  He  sat  silent  in  his  chair, 
overwhelmed  with  the  weight  of  the  intelligence  he  had 
received,  and  neither  he  nor  Gripes  spoke ;  for  though 
the  latter  had,  as  the  reader  is  aware,  already  arranged 
upon  the  only  plan  that  remained  for  him  to  follow,  he 
dared  not  address  his  lordship,  under  present  circum- 
stances, until  he  was  himself  spoken  to. 

At  this  moment  the  earl's  valet  entered  with  the  let- 
ters from  the  post-office,  and  his  lordship  immediately 
singled  ont  thosj  which  bore  the  Italian  post- mark,  and 
without  uttering  a  word,  broke  the  seals  and  read  them 
slowly  from  beginning  to  end. 

Strange  !  but  this  corroboration  of  the  unpleasant  in- 
telligence communicated  by  Gripes  which  had  com- 
pletely unnerved  the  earl,  served  to  rouse  his  almost  col- 
lapsed energies  into  action,  and,  greatly  to  the  surprise 
and  delight  of  Gripes,  he  calmly,  and  apparently  without. 
a  particle  of  alarm  or  displeasure,  inquired  what  course 
he  now  thought  it  advisable  to  pursue.  The  wily  law- 
yer, who  knew  how  deeply  he  himself  was  implicated, 
and  who  yet  wished  to  complete  the  infamous  job  he  had 
taken  in  hand,  and  so  far  successfully  carried  out,  re- 
lated to  his  lordship  the  conversation  he  had  held  with 
Cheatem  that  morning,  and  the  determination  they  had 
jointly  arrived  at,  viz. :  that  now  matters  had  gone  so 
far,  they  must  be  carried  out  to  the  end.  It  must  be 
"  sink  or  swirn" — there  was  no  intermediate  course  left. 
"Besides,  rny  lord,"  said  Gripes,  "the  trial  comes  on  at 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  267 

Huntingdon  in  a  day  or  two,  and  perhaps,  under  present 
circumstances,  it  is  just  as  well  that  the  case  is  removed 
from  the  control  of  the  Lord  Chancellor,  as  the  slow 
method  of  proceeding  in  the  Court  of  Chancery,  might 
oblige  the  suit  to  lay  over  from  day  to  day  ere  it  \vas 
decided,  and  thus  waste  a  great  deal  of  time,  which  to 
us  now  is  everything.  In  coming  before  the  court  of 
Assize  at  a  provincial  town,  we  shall  have  this  advan- 
tage, that,  the  contestants  not  being  present  when  ihe 
case  is  called  up,  and  not  answering  when  called  upon, 
the  suit  will  be  decided  in  our  favor,  and  I  have  every 
hope  that  they  may  not  arrive  in  time  to  appear. 
They  may  come  after  the  decision  as  soon  as  they  please. 
One  thing  I  am  sure  of;  they  have  not  yet  arrived  in 
England  from  Paris,  for  I  have  agents  at  the  various 
channel  ports  who  would  have  given  me  information 
had  such  been  the  case." 

And  thus  the  lawyer  quitted  Grosvenor  Square  with 
the  permission  of  his  lordship  still  to  prosecute  the  suit 
with  vigor,  notwithstanding  the  news  he  had  received, 
and  the  earl  felt  his  mind  so  relieved  from  the  weight 
of  what  had  at  first  been  felt  as  a  stunning  blow,  by  the 
conversation  with  his  lawyer,  and  the  hopes  he  still  en- 
tertained of  bringing  the  case  to  a  fortunate  issue,  that 
he  actually  returned  to  his  duties  at  the  House  of 
Lords  in  a  more  easy  frame  of  mind  than  he  had  been, 
not  only  before  he  had  heard  the  unpleasant  news,  but 
for  several  weeks  previously. 

These  letters,  however,  to  the  earl  and  to  the  two 
lawyers,  were  not  the  only  ones  directed  to  persons  cog- 
nizant of  this  unhallowed  affair,  brought  by  this  mail. 
There  were  also  letters  from  the  abbess  to  Father  An- 
sel mo,  and  to  Lady  Mary.  The  letter  to  her  neice  was 
enclosed  by  the  abbess  in  that  which  was  directed  to  the 
venerable  father  ;  for  she,  notwithstanding  she  lived  in 
a  convent,  knew  enough  of  the  world  to  feel  pretty  well 
satisfied  that  any  letters  received  by  the  present  post 
from  Italy,  addressed  to  her  neice  in  her  (the  abbess's) 
handwritting,  would  be  intercepted  by  the  earl.  Tho 


268  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

letters  to  Father  Anselmo  were  always  placed  in  a  sepa- 
rate bag  from  those  directed  to  the  earl,  or  others  of  the 
members  of  the  family  or  the  residents  at  the  castle,  and 
consequently  were  sent  on  to  him,  direct  to  the  castle, 
no  matter  where  the  earl  might  be  residing.  A  few 
hours,  therefore,  after  the  above  recorded  conversation 
had  taken  place  in  Grosvenor  Square,  between  the  earl 
and  his  lawyer,  Father  Anselmo  and  Lady  Mary  were 
both  intently  perusing  letters  from  the  abbess  at  Alton 
castle. 

The  letter  to  Father  Anselmo  was  brief,  but  the  abbess 
conjured  the  venerable  father  to  use  his  utmost  efforts 
to  dissuade  the  earl  from  pursuing  any  further  his  evil 
designs.  The  abbess  stated  that  although  she  was  ne- 
cessarily ignorant  of  the  real  nature  of  this  business,  he 
in  all  probability  knew  more  respecting  it.  She  begged 
him,  regardless  of  consequences,  to  seek  a  personal  inter- 
view with  the  earl  ;  and  if  need  be,  even  to  leave  the 
castle  sooner  than  by  remaining,  in  the  character  of  con- 
fessor and  chaplain,  to  imply  that  the  sanction  of  the 
Church  had  been  given  to  a  scheme  so  unhohT,  and  that 
in  a  country  where  everything  that  could  tend  to  weaken 
the  influence  of  the  Church  of  Rome  was  so  eagerly 
seized  upon  by  its  implacable  enemies.  And  above  all 
she  conjured  the  venerable  father  to  dissuade  her  beloved 
niece  from  having  anything  to  do  with  the  matter;  and 
if  she  were  persecuted  on  that  account,  even  to  accom- 
pany her  himself  to  Italy  and  place  her  in  security  within 
the  sanctuary  of  the  convent  of  Saint  Euphernia. 

The  letter  to  Lady  Mary  ran  as  follows  : 


it  *  *  #  j  have  kut  little  time  to  spare,  my  beloved 
niece,  as  the  courier  must  depart  in  a  few  minutes  to 
Turin,  with  the  mnil  bag,  in  order  that  it  may  reach 
Trieste  in  time  for  the  steamer  ;  and  I  have  occupied  the 
greater  part  of  the  day,  to  the  neglect,  I  fear,  of  my 
spiritual  duties,  in  writing  to  your  father  and  to  the 
venerable  Father  Anselmo,  upon  a  matter  which  trou- 
bles me  sorely  (may  Heaven  forgive  me  for  allowing  my 


THE   OKl'HAN'S   WRONGS.  269 

mind  to  dwell  so  long  on  temporal  matters).  Seldom 
indeed  do  I  write;  and  well  may  you  be  assured,  dear 
Mary,  that  it  is  a  matter  of  serious  import  which  thus  so 
deeply  engages  my  attention.  It  relates  indeed  to  you, 
my  beloved  niece — you  whom  I  love  perhaps  to  a  de- 
gree that  is  sinful.  Go  then,  dear  Man',  immediately  to 
your  confessor,  and  read  this  hurried  note.  Should  you 
be  ignorant  of  the  cause  which  has  templed  me  to  de- 
vote so  much  of  my  time  to  epistolary  correspondence, 
he  will  explain  all  to  you.  Be  guided,  my  dear  Mary, 
by  his  advice,  ev  n  if  it  be  contrary  to  that  of  your 
earthly  parent  and  natural  protector;  and  should  mat- 
ters corne  to  the  worst  you  will  ever  find  a  peaceful 
refuge  in  the  convent  of  St.  Euphemia,  and  a  warm  and 
heartfelt  welcome  from  your  aunt,  its  unuorthy  abbess. 
I  can  say  DO  more.  Pietro  is  waiting  for  the  letter-bag, 
and  I  dare  delay  him  no  longer. 

"  Believe  me,  dear  Mary,  your  affectionate  aunt, 

"  LAURA  TIVOLI — SISTER  ANATHASIA." 

Having  perused  this  brief  epistle  from  one  whom  she 
regarded  with  feelings  of  undying  affection,  Lady  Mary 
sat  for  some  moments  greatly  agitated  by  a  variety  of 
conflicting  emotions.  "This  disgraceful  purpose  of  my 
father  has  became  known  abroad,"  she  thought,  "  oh  1 
where  will  it  end;  to  what  will  this  sad  ambition  drive 
him  ?  If  he  has  proceeded  so  far  as  this  letter  from  my 
aunt  would  seem  to  imply,  then  indeed  is  it  time  for  ac- 
tion. Dear  aunt  (kissing  the  letter)  I  will  follow  your 
advice,  I  will  see  and  be  guided  by  the  advice  of  Father 
Anselmo,  and  if  need  be — oh  !  dreadful  alternative — I 
will  fly  from  the  temptations  that  beset  me — even  from 
my  father's  house,  and  seek  refuge  and  peace  in  the 
cloisters  of  St.  Euphemia." 

A  few  minutes  afterwards  Lady  Mary  tapped  softly 
at  the  door  of  Father  Anselmo's  study,  and  the  father  in 
a  mild  benignant  tone  bade  her  enter. 

"  Ah!  my  beloved  daughter,  is  it  you  who  seeks  me?" 
exclaimed  Father  Anselmo,  as  Lady  Mary  entered  tka 


270  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

apartment.  "  I  was  just  on  the  point  of  coming  to  you. 
7,  and  I  presume  you  also  have  received  a  letter  from 
the  Countess  de  Tivoli,  the  worthy  Abbess  of  St.  Eu- 
phemia.  My  daughter,  I  feel  it  is  on  this  subject  that 
you  seek  counsel  from  me  ;  but  I  have  already  marked 
out  the  course  for  you  to  pursue  and  now  I  repeat,  as  you 
value  }rour  future  peace  of  mind,  as  you  value  the  hope 
of  eternal  happiness  hereafter,  swerve  not  from  that  line 
of  conduct.  Earnestly  did  1  seek  counsel  from  Heaven, 
as  to  how  I  should  reconcile,  in  this  matter,  my  duty  as  a 
Christian  priest,  with  my  vows  of  obedience  to  the  Su- 
periors of  my  Order.  The  struggle  in  my  mind  was  long 
and  arduous ;  but  Heaven  answered  me  and  at  length  I 
felt  an  inward  assurance  that  it  was  my  duty  at  all 
hazards  to  warn  and  advise  you  against  any  participation 
in  a  deadly  sin.  The  intelligence  I  have  received  from 
the  worthy  Lady  Abbess,  your  aunt,  only  seern  to  con- 
firm me  in  this  action  of  duty.  My  daughter,  again 
write  to  your  father  and  urge  him  to  discontinue  this 
business,  and  tell  him  in  words  of  filial  affection  and  yet 
with  firmness,  that  he  cannot  mistake,  that  you  cannot 
consent  to  obey  him  in  this.  I  too,  shall  write,  and  even 
state  plainly  what  I  have  heard  from  Italy,  and  then, 
this  duty  done,  let  us  await  the  event  with  patience 
and  prayer.  My  daughter,  if  it  comes  to  the  worst, 
you  have  still  a  refuge  in  the  cloisters  of  St.  Euphemia. 
1  will  guide  you  thither  and  then  I  shall  return  here. 
Let  your  father  act  as  he  may,  goaded  as  he  is  by  evil 
passions,  I  dare  not  seek  peace  and  repose  elsewhere 
while  a  duty  remains  to  be  done.  That  duty  is  to  use, 
even  to  the  last — while  one  ray  of  hope — one  spark  of 
life  remains,  all  my  influence,  strengthened  as  J  hope 
through  my  prayers  to  Heaven,  for  your  noble  parent's 
return  to  the  path  of  rectitude,  and  then,  my  child, 
you  must  return  to  him.  I  could  not  bid  you  fly  from 
him  but  to  save  yourself  from  sin  and  shame;  but  you 
must  not  forsake  him.  Whatever  be  your  desire  you 
must  not  now  take  the  veil  and  hide  yourself  forever 
in  the  cloister.  You  will  yet  1  hope  jeturn  to  rejoice 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  271 

the  latter  days  and  to  soothe  the  last  hours  of  a  repent- 
ent,  a  fond  and  a  happy  parent.  Now  go,  my  child, 
and  write  the  letter  and  I  will  busy  myself  in  the  same 
way.  Write  earnestly  but  trustingly,  and  may  Ileavcn 
prosper  our  cause." 

Lady  Mary  quitted  the  room  and  retiring  to  her  own 
apartment,  wrote  the  letter  as  the  priest  had  desired  her, 
amidst  many  sobs  and  tears,  and  Father  Anselrno  having 
also  written  his,  both  letters  were  sent  off  by  the  post 
that  evening  for  London. 

They  were  received  by  the  earl  on  the  following  day, 
just  after  he  had  held  a  long  and  strictly  confidential 
interview  with  Gripes  and  Cheatem,  and  at  a  moment 
when  the  pair  of  scheming  scoundrels  had  raised  his 
hopes  of  speedy  success  to  the  highest  pitch. 

His  lordship  tore  open  the  letters,  glanced  hastily  at 
their  contents,  and  with  a  frown  that  would  have  sent 
the  blood  curdling  to  the  heart  of  his  daughter  had 
she  been  present,  and  with  an  oath  expressive  of  bitter 
scorn,  he  threw  them  into  the  fire. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

An  unexpected  arrival. 

A  PACKET  from  Havre  had  just  arrived  at  Southamp- 
ton, and  from  that  packet  had  landed  the  party  of 
travellers  who  we  last  mentioned  as  being  at  Paris. 
It  was  not  a  regular  passenger  vessel,  for  very  wisely, 
at  the  suggestion  of  Adolphus,  Airs.  Lyman  and  her 
friends  consented  to  make  the  few  hours  passage  in  a 
small  trader  that  was  laden  with  wine.  It  was  not  very 
agreeable;  but  they  had  a  presentiment  that  should  their 
arrival  in  England  be  made  known  to  the  persons  who 
had  so  implacably  pursued  the  brother  and  sister,  these 
persons,  who  evidently  possessed  great  capabilities  of 
doing  evil,  and  were  over-ruled  by  no  scruples  of  con- 


272  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OK, 

science,  would  still  manage  to  throw  obstacles  in  thcii 
way.  The  spies,  therefore,  who  had  been  engaged  bv 
Cheatem,  had  been  completely  thrown  off  their  guard, 
and  our  hero  and  his  friends  put  up  for  the  night  at  a 
neat  but  small  unpretending  hotel  in  the  town  of  South- 
ampton without  a  suspicion  being  entertained  of  their 
arrival.  They  were  not  aware  of  the  necessity  that  ex- 
isted of  their  appearance  in  England  just  at  this  critical 
juncture  or  they  would  of  course  have  made  more  haste 
than  they  had  done,  and  not  have  spent  so  many  days 
in  the  gratification  of  their  curiosity  and  in  visiting 
places  of  note  in  Paris  and  other  parts  of  France.  While, 
however,  they  were  sitting  in  their  room  awaiting  sup- 
per, Adolphus  took  up  a  newspaper  and  to  his  astonish- 
ment read  that  the  trial  of  the  suit  in  which  he  was  so 
deeply  interested  was  to  come  off  at  Huntingdon  on  the 
following  Thursday. 

Here  was  news  indeed !  and  after  a  brief  consultation 
with  his  aunt,  it  was  resolved  that  he  should  that  even- 
ing write  and  despatch  letters  to  Mr.  Hughes,  informing 
him  of  his  arrival  with  his  sister  in  England. 

This  was  done,  and  then  the  party  made  arrangements 
for  proceeding  to  London  on  the  following  morning. 

Mr.  Hughes  and  I  had  some  time  before  received  the 
letters  from  Adolphus,  announcing  his  release  from  the 
man  of  war,  and  also  subsequently  a  letter,  which  had 
especially  rejoiced  the  heart  of  Mrs.  Hughes,  relating, 
briefly,  the  particulars  of  Georgiana's  release  from  the 
convent.  -None  of  us  knew  where  to  write  to  them,  as 
they  were  moving  from  one  spot  to  another  day  by  da\ , 
and  bitterly  we  lamented  the  impossibility  of  informing 
them  of  the  absolute  necessity  of  their  hastening  to  Eng- 
land. Indeed  the  anxiety  produced,  by  the  knowledge 
of  what  might  be  effected  were  they  present  at  the  trial, 
and  what  would  probably  be  the  result  were  they  not 
present,  was  almost  unbearable.  It  seemed  as  though 
we  had  success  at  our  very  fingers'  ends,  yet  could  not 
grasp  it. 

It  was,  therefore,  with  feelings  of  great  gladness  that 


THE    ORPHAN'S   WKOXGS.  273 

we  received  the  letters  announcing  their  arrival  in. 
England,  and  that  very  evening  we  met  them  at  the 
Southampton  railroad  terminus,  in  London. 

It  is  needless  to  speak  of  the  joyous  evening  that  we. 
spent  together  at  Mr.  Hughes'  snug  little  villa  at  Clap- 
ham,-  or  the  delight  of  Mrs.  Hughes  on  again  meeting 
with  Georgiana,  for  whom  she  had  begun  to  feel  almost 
a  mother's  affection.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  we  did  spend 
a  right  merry  evening  for  the  time  being,  dismissing 
from  our  minds  all  care  for  the  future. 

However,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  business  to  be 
done,  and  to  be  done  secretly;  for  we  determined,  if 
possible,  to  keep  our  ruthless  opponents  ignorant  of  (he 
arrival  of  the  heirs  until  they  actually  appeared  before 
them  in  court. 

Adolphus,  and  Mr.  Hughes  and  I,  were  therefore 
pretty  busy  during  the  following  day  or  two,  but  by 
that  time  we  had  done  everything  that  lay  in  our  power 
to  put  the  secret  train  in  proper  order. 

It  was  now  Saturday,  and  the  following  Thursday  was 
to  be  the  day — "  the  great,  the  important  day,  big  with 
the  fate  of  the  Fitzherberts." 

On  Saturday  morning,  Mrs.  Hughes  informed  hei 
husband  that,  now  his  duties  were  for  the  present  termi- 
nated, she  had  a  request  to  make  on  the  part  of  Miss 
Fitzherbert — which  was,  that  he  would  allow  her  to 
carry  out  the  wish  of  the  kind  Abbess  of  St.  Euphernia, 
in  visiting  her  niece  Lady  Mary  secretly,  and  in  company 
with  her  brother  making  herself  known  to  her.  The 
abbess  had  despatched  a  letter  for  Georgiana  to  Paris, 
after  she  had  left  the  convent,  enclosing  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction to  her  niece,  and  she  besought  her,  as  she  valued 
her  kindness  while  in  the  convent,  and  as  she  could  as- 
sist to  save  her  niece  from  the  perils  which  surrounded 
her,  to  present  it  in  person  to  Lady  Mary.  I  should 
have  mentioned  that  for  a  long  time  Mr.  Hughes  had 
been  cognizant  of  the  implication  of  the  Earl  of  Shrop- 
shire in  this  infamous  business,  and  he  had  also  managed 
to  discover  that  Ladv  Mary,  who  was  intended  to  act  a 

12* 


274  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OK, 

principal  character  in  the  impending  drama,  bad  betrayed 
considerable  unwillingness  to  play  ber  part.  All  this 
however,  he  bad  kept  secret  from  me  until  a  day  or  two 
before  the  arrival  of  the  Fitzherberts  in  England.  He 
vv«>?,  therefore,  not  at  all  averse  to  the  introduction  of  his 
clients  to  the  lady,  feeling  perfectly  secure  of  her  secrecy, 
in  consequence  of  the  request  of  her  aunt  to  that  effect, 
even  if  Lady  Mary  herself  should  be  inclined  to  betray  us. 

It  was  resolved  therefore,  it  being  known  that  the  earl 
was  in  London,  to  proceed  to  Shrewsbury  that  very  after- 
noon ;  and  at  four  o'clock  Adolphus  and  his  sister,  and 
Mrs.  Lyman,  with  Mr.  Hughes  and  myself,  were  on  our 
way  to  that  place.  We  had  determined  to  remain  in 
the  town  until  Tuesday,  and  then  to  retrace  a  portion  of 
our  way  and  to  put  up  quietly  at  Huntingdon,  so  as  to 
be  in  readiness  for, the  events  of  Thursday. 

We  arrived  at  Shrewsbury  on  Sunday  about  noon, 
and  the  next  morning  despatched  a  letter  to  Lady  Mary, 
who  was  at  the  castle,  about  six  miles  distant,  enclosing 
the  letter  of  the  abbess.  The  letter  was  sent  by  a  private 
messenger,  who  brought  back  an  answer  to  the  effect  that 
Lady  Mary  Alton  would  be  happy  to  meet  Mr.  and  Miss 
Fitzherbert  and  their  friends  that  afternoon,  at  their  ho- 
tel in  Shrewsbury.  She  would  have  received  them  at 
Alton  Castle,  with  pleasure,  but  she  feared  that  that 
would  lead  to  exposure,  which  her  aunt  had  explicitly 
desired  her  to  avoid.  She  added  that  she  would  get  out 
of  her  carriage  at  the  entrance  to  the  town,  and  desire 
the  coachman  to  wait  her  return,  and  would  then  walk 
to  the  hotel,  so  as  not  to  be  recognized  by  the  towns- 
folks. 

At  the  appointed  time  Lady  Mary  arrived,  and  was 
introduced  to  the  Fitzherberts.  We  had  expected,  from 
what  we  had  heard  of  Lady  Mary's  character,  to  witness 
a  great  deal  of  hauteur  mingled  even  with  her  conde- 
scension ;  but  we  were  most  agreeably  surprised  to  find 
her  unassuming  to  a  remarkable  degree.  She  looked 
sad  and  careworn,  but  she  was  still  exceedingly  hand- 
some. There  was  evidence  of  a  latent  spirit  beaming  in 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  275 

her  eyes  at  times,  which  showed  that  when  she  chose  she 
could  display  all  the  pride  and  hauteur  for  which  the 
world  had  given  her  credit.  Still  those  same  dark 
piercing  eyes  were  expressive  of  a  depth  of  feeling  that 
plainly  told  that  Lady  Mary  Alton  was  one  whom  the 
world  of  fashion  had  heartlessly  misjudged;  and,  at  least 
now,  no  one  could  look  upon  her  queenly  and  command- 
ing form  and  classic  features,  not  soulless,  as  the  poet  has 
said  of  such,  but  beaming  with  intellect  and  sentiment, 
without  feeling  interested  in  her — no  one  could  witness 
the  pensive  melancholy  that  was  engrafted  on  those  fea- 
tures, without  a  feeling  of  sorrow,  that  one  whose  nature 
was  evidently  so  susceptible  should  have  been  doomed  to 
suffer  the  long  corroding  anxiety,  which  alone  could 
have  so  plainly  stamped  that  expression  of  melancholy 
on  her  features.  Yet  the  feeling  of  almost  painful  inter- 
est did  not  descend  to  pity.  One  might  have  pitied  a 
less  queenly  being,  but  as  well  might  one  profess  pity 
for  a  goddess  as  for  the  queenly  Lady  Mary  Alton,  and 
Lady  Mary  would  have  shunned  and  scorned  those  who 
could  have  pitied  her. 

The  meeting  between  the  Fitzherberts  and  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  proud  earl  who  was  the  primary  cause  of  their 
own  and  their  father's  trouble  was  brief  but  cordial. 
Her  ladyship  started  when  tirst  she  saw  Adolphus  and 
exclaimed,  involuntarily,  "  Good  Heaven,  how  like  poor 
Herbert."  He  evidently  awakened  in  her  mind  somo 
painful  reminiscences,  for  her  hand  trembled  as  she  ex- 
tended it  to  him,  and  her  cheek  alternately  paled  and 
flushed  as  she  addressed  him.  With  Georgiana,  of 
course,  she  was  more  at  ease,  and  after  staying  about  an. 
hour  she  rose  to  depart.  She  had  already  wished  us 
good  day,  and  had  reached  the  door  of  the  apartment, 
when  she  turned  back  and  taking  the  hand  of  Georgi- 
ana, she  said,  her  \  oice  trembling  with  emotion : — • 

"  Dear  Miss  Fitzherbert,  believe  me,  I  feel  for  your 
past  misfortunes,  and  I  wish  you  well.  You  may  ima- 
gine that  JTAatw  been  and  am  interested  in  your  failure 
on  Thursday.  You  see,"  she  said,  smiling  archly,  "  I 


276  THE  LAWYER'S  STOEY;  OR, 

know  more  than  you  give  me  credit  for  ;  but  far  from 
that,  I  never  have  been,  never  could  be,  inimical  to  the 
happiness  of  you  and  your  brother.  Perhaps  some  day 
I  may  tell  you  why.  And  now  I  shall  wish  and  pray 
most  sincerely  for  your  success ;  and  be  assured  what- 
ever be  the  result,  you  will  ever  have  a  warm  and  stead- 
fast friend  in  Alary  Alton." 

Mr.  Hughes  conducted  her  ladyship  down  stairs,  and 
to  the  door  of  the  hotel ;  and,  after  some  conversation 
respecting  the  interview,  we  again  set  busily  to  work  in 
order  that  nothing  that  we  could  conceive  would  avail 
us  should  be  wanting  to  ensure  our  success  on  the  com- 
ing Thursday. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

The  county  court — The  trial  and  the  verdict  set  aside — The 
earl's  death. 

THERE  was,  as  usual,  an  imposing  array  in  the  town 
of  Huntingdon  on  the  commission  day  of  the  autumn 
assizes  of  184 — .  The  high  sheriff  and  county  officers 

O  J 

went  to  meet  the  judge,  who  had  for  some  days  pre- 
viously been  stopping  at  the  seat  of  Lady  Shepherd,  as 
had  been  already  mentioned ;  and  the  cortege  having 
been  arranged,  they  entered  the  county  town,  amidst 
the  shrill  clang  of  trumpets  and  all  the  accustomed  dread 

and  imposing  paraphernalia  of  justice.     Lord ,  the 

presiding  judge,  was,  as  is  the  case  with  most  English 
judges,  a  man  of  lofty  intellect  and  of  strict  unswerving 
integrity  ;  but  as  Dame  Harris  had  already  informed  her 
group  of  auditors  at  the  cottage  at  Hemingford,  he  rather 
inclined  to  severity,  Nevertheless,  he  was  a  noble  and 
high-minded  man,  and  one  upon  whose  broad  shoulders 
the  ermine  rested  with  becoming  dignity.  The  fifth 
day  of  the  assizes  was  the  day  appointed  for  the  hearing 
of  the  case,  Fitzherbert  vs.  Fitzherbert.  This  delay  was 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  277 

very  annoying  to  Mr.  Gripes,  as  he  was  in  momentary 
fear  of  the  arrival  of  the  true  heirs  Fitzherbert  from  the 
continent,  but  he  had  no  remedy  but  patience.  As  to 
Mr.  Hughes,  he  kept  perfectly  quiet,  and  had  succeeded 
in  keeping  from  the  knowledge  of  his  opponents  the 
actual  arrival  of  those  they  so  much  dreaded. 

At  length  the  day  arrived,  and  the  court-house  was 
thronged  to  the  uttermost.  The  assize  commission  is 
always  a  period  of  excitement,  but  this  time  it  was  more 
than  usually  so,  in  consequence  of  the  trial  of  this  case 
of  such  unprecedented  local  interest. 

A  dead  silence  prevailed  in  court  when  the  judge 
entered  and  took  his  seat  upon  the  bench  on  the  eventful 
morning.  There  was  no  occasion  for  the  Crier  to  call 
for  order,  for  every  one  present  held  his  breath — a  pin 
might  have  been  heard  to  drop  in  the  court. 

Nearly  all  the  influential  gentlemen  in  the  country 
were  present,  as  well  as  several  ladies,  who  occupied 
seats  in  the  rear  of  the  bench. 

The  customary  preliminaries  having  been  gone  through, 
the  judge  asked  Avho  appeared  for  the  plaintiffs. 

"Isaak  Gripes  and  Archer  Snap,  Esquires,"  was  the 
reply. 

"  And  for  the  defendants  ?" 

"  Hughes  H.  Hughes  and  Joseph  Green,  Esquires." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  respective  counsel  having  taken 
their  seats,  the  attorneys,  Messrs.  Ferrit  and  Cheatem, 
being  also  seated  near  their  counsel,  the  jury  were 
sworn,  and  while  this  operation  was  going  forward,  all 
eyes  were  directed  to  a  young  gentleman  and  lady  who 
entered  the  court,  and  were  conducted  to  a  seat  by  the 
deputy  sheriff.  It  was  soon  whispered  around  that 
these  were  the  plaintiffs  Fitzherbert,  and  shortly  after- 
wards the  Earl  of  Shropshire  entered  and  took  a  seat 
near  them,  having  exchanged  salutations,  which,  to 
those  at  a  distance  appeared  to  be  kind  and  familiar,  but 
which  those  near  by  remarked,  were  strangely  conde- 
scending, and  not  unmixed  with  hauteur,  on  the  part  of 
his  lordship. 


278  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

"Is  it  not  strange  and  extraordinary!  the  singular 
resemblance  of  those  young  people  to  Adolphus  and 
Georgiana?"  whispered  Mr.  Hughes  aside  to  me,  for  I 
was  seated  near  him. 

"It  is,  indeed,"  I  replied ;  "at  this  slight  distance  I 
could  almost  believe  them  to  be  the  genuine,  instead  of 
the  false,  Fitzherberts."  As  I  was  speaking,  Mr.  Gripes 
arose,  and  in  a  low,  distinct  tone,  said  : 

"  May  it  please  your  lordship — gentlemen  of  the  jury 
— as  I  have  already  stated,  I  have  the  honor  to  appear 
before  you  as  counsel  for  the  plaintiffs.  Independently 
of  the  unusual  interest  which  is  excited  by  a  trial,  the 
result  of  which  invokes  such  an  immense  amount  of  pro- 
perty, which  I  shall  have  to  refer  to  hereafter ;  this  is 
altogether  a  most  singular  case;  I  shall,  therefore,  as 
briefly  as  I  can,  endeavor  to  state  its  nature. 

'"The  large  estates  now  under  litigation  were,  anterior 
to  the  Reformation,  in  the  possession  of  the  Church ;  but 
in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  they  were  sequestered 
and  held  by  the  Crown.  Through  some  omission  in  the 
act  of  sequestration,  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  enter 
into,  they  were  subsequently  submitted  to  litigation,  and 
during  the  reign  of  Charles  the  First,  temporary  posses- 
sion was  obtained  by  their  former  proprietors,  who  were 
again  deprived  of  them  during  the  protectorship  of 
Oliver  Cromwell.  During  this  period  of  civil  anarchy 
and  discord,  they  were  sacked  and  laid  waste  by  the 
Puritan  (soldiers,  and  on  the  Restoration,  they  were 
chiefly  used  by  Charles  the  Second  as  a  hunting  ground 
— having  been  covered  with  copse  and  low  brushwood, 
which  had  sprung  into  growth  from  the  roots  of  the 
charred  trunks  of  the  trees  which  had  been  burnt  by 
the  Roundheads. 

"From  that  period,  until  the  accession  of  George  the 
First,  they  were  held  as  Crown  property,  although  little 
attention  was  paid  to  them.  They  were  still  a  mere 
wilderness. 

"  At  this  date,  however,  some  new  claimant  arose  in 
the  bishop  and  clergy  of  the  diocese,  who  claimed  the 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  279 

property  as  having  been  transferred  to  the  Protestant 
See,  Avhen  the  Catholics  had  been  outlawed  and  exiled. 
From  that  time  until  the  close  of  the  reign  of  George  the 
Second,  they  were  the  object  of  constant  and  vexatious 
litigation,  and  were  still  allowed  to  run  to  waste;  but 
at  that  date  the  claims  of  the  Church  were  declared  null, 
and  the  property  was  fully  recognized  as  belonging  to 
the  Crown. 

"  From  this  time  they  were  cultivated  as  farm  land, 
and  yielded  a  large  rental,  which,  with  proper  attention, 
however,  might  have  doubled  or  trebled  ;  but,  strange 
to  say,  they  never  received  the  attention  they  merited. 
When  his  late  Majesty,  George  the  Fourth,  had  attained 
his  majority — he  being  then  Prince  of  Wales — letters 
patent  were  obtained  by  his  father,  George  the  Third, 
by  which  he  was  enabled  to  transfer  the  property  from 
the  Crown  to  the  prince,  individually,  and  the  prince,  in 
the  multitude  of  his  generosity  upon  a  certain  occasion 
(it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  allude  to  it  further) 
presented  the  property,  while  he  (the  prince)  was  still 
living,  to  one  Herbert  Fitzherbert  and  his  heirs,  male 
and  female,  forever.  Herbert  Fitzherbert  then  being  an 
infant  (in  law)  of  some  six  or  eight  years  of  age,  the 
Bight  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Shropshire,  was  appointed  his 
guardian  until  he  attained  his  majority.  From  this 
period  the  estates  have  prospered,  and  yielded  a  rental 
of  £15,000  per  annum — the  only  drawback  being  that 
the  landlord  did  not  reside  upon  the  property,  and  thus 
it  was  not  rendered  even  then  so  productive  to  the 
owners,  or  so  beneficial  to  the  country,  as  it  might  have 
been. 

"  A  short  time  before  he  attained  his  majority,  the 
heir,  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  went  to  America,  and  while 
he  was  absent,  fresh  and  vexatious  claims  were  made 
against  the  property,  and  it  was  stated,  and  in  the 
opinion  of  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  and  his  legal  advisers, 
correctly,  that  the  title  by  which  his  Koyal  Highness, 
George  Prince  of  Wales,  held  the  property,  did  not  allow 
him  to  make  it  over  to  another  party,  and  that  upon  his 


280  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

decease,  or  his  ascending  the  throne  of  England,  the  said 
estates  must  again  revert  to  the  Crown.  On  the  return 
of  Herbert  Fitzherbert  to  England,  this  was  told  him  by 
his  guardians,  and  he  forthwith  declined  having  any 
trouble  with  them,  leaving  the  earl  to  contest  his  right 
should  he  be  called  upon  to  do  so,  and  shortly  after  this 
he  married,  and  again  sailed  with  his  wife  to  America. 
Nothing  further  was  heard  of  him,  and  it  was  supposed 
he  died  there.  For  several  years  the  Earl  of  Shropshire 
rested  in  the  belief  that  the  title  deeds  were  invalid,  but 
latterly  he  discovered  that  he  had  all  along  been  under 
a  misapprehension,  and  that  they  were  as  binding  as  is 
was  possible  for  them  to  be.  During  this  long  period, 
including  a  series  of  years,  the  earl,  as  agent  of  the 
doubtful  property,  in  the  absence  of  the  rightful  owner, 
had  drawn  the  yearly  rentals,  and  funded  them,  not 
knowing  whether  the  money  of  right  belonged  to  Her- 
bert Fitzherbert  or  his  heirs,  or  whether  it  would  not 
eventually  be  claimed  by  the  Crown.  However,  on  his 
lordship  discovering  his  error,  he  immediately  took  mea- 
sures to  ascertain  whether  Herbert  Fitzherbert  or  his 
heirs  were  living,  and  with  this  object  an  agent  v/as  sent 
to  America,  who,  after  much  difficulty,  succeeded  in 
discovering  a  son  and  daughter  named  Adolphus  and 
Georgiana  Fitzherbert,  whom  he  brought  over  to  Eng- 
land with  him,  and  whom,  to  the  best  of  my  belief,  are 
now,  my  Lord  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  seated  in  this 
court.  (Great  sensation  ;  all  eyes  directed  to  the  two 
young  people  representing  themselves  to  be  the  rightful 
iieirs.)  The  venerable  and  noble  earl,  who,  I  believe, 
is  also  present,  was  now  in  hopes  that  his,  almost  lifelong, 
difficulties  and  troubles  respecting  this  property  were  at 
an  end,  and  that  he  should  soon  have  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  the  heirs  of  his  ward  in  possession,  and  of  paying 
over  to  them  the  large  amount  of  accumulated  property, 
amounting,  with  interest,  to  between  £200,00u  and 
£300,000.  (Great  sensation  in  court;  hands  thrust  iuto 
pockets,  and  coppers  and  keys  heard  jingling  in  all  d, ruc- 
tions.) Such,  my  Lord  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  was 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WKOXGS.  281 

not  to  be  the  case- ;  the  curse  of  litigation  appears  to 
have  lingered  on  these  estates  for  centuries;  indeed,  ever 
since  they  were  confiscated  from  the  Roman  Church. 
Scarcely  had  the  heirs  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert  arrived  in 
England,  when  a  rumor  spread  that  some  foul  work  was 
going  forward  in  America,  at  the  instigation  of  some 
pettifogging  Yankee  lawyer  (I  bristled  up  considerably 
when  I  heard  this,  while  Mr.  Hughes  glanced  at  me  and 
smiled  archly),  at  the  instigation  of  some  poor,  unscrupu 
lous,  pettifogging  Yankee  lawyer,  I  repeat  the  words,  my 
Lord  (and  Gripes,  who,  by  some  means,  had  recognized 
me),  and  observed  my  annoyance,  looked  spitefully  to- 
wards me),  who,  reading  the  advertisement  in  a  Phila- 
delphia newspaper,  set  his  wits  to  work  to  see  if  he  could 
not  make  a  good  speculation  out  of  the  job,  and  forth- 
with he  proceeded  to  hunt  up  a  young  couple  from 
the  back  settlements  of  the  United  States,  or  probably 
some  idle  and  disreputable  characters  from  Philadelphia 
or  New  York,  and  sought  to  palrn  them  off  as  the  real 
Simon  Pures. 

"  With  this  object  in  view  he  wrote  to  a  gentleman  of 
eminence  in  the  legal  profession  in  London — who  now 
appears  as  counsel  for  the  defendant — and  by  a  little 
skillful  manoeuvering,  such  as  gentlemen  of  his  class  are 
perfectly  capable  of,  actually  managed  to  interest  him 
deeply  in  the  false  gause  of  his  proteges.  1  presume,  my 
Lord  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  that  these  false  claim- 
ants will  this  day  have  the  audacity,  supported  by  their 
smart  Sam  Slick  coadjutor,  to  present  themselves  in 
court  as  the  son  and  daughter  and  veritable  heirs  of 
Herbert  Fitzherbert.  It  now  remains  for  me,  my  Lord, 
to  bring  forward  the  incontestible  proofs  of  the  identity 
of  my  clients,  as  furnished  after  much  patient  and  careful 
investigation,  by  the  indefatigable  gentleman  who  has 
acted  as  attorney  in  this  interesting  cas*-. 

"  I  have  here,  my  Lord  (exhibiting  a  parcel  of  parch- 
ment documents),  copies  from  the  vestry  books  of  Christ 
Church,  Canterbury,  of  the  registration  of  the  birth  of 
Herbert  Fitzherbert,  on  the  4th  day  of  February,  179- ; 


282  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

also  of  tae  marriage  of  the  said  Herbert  Fitzherbert  to 
Ellen  Harcourt,  which  ceremony  was  performed  and  en- 
registered  at  the  said  church  in  the  said  city  of  Canter- 
bury, on  the  6th  day  of  June  18 — ;  and  furthermore,  I 
have  here  the  affidavits  of  Adolphus  and  Georgian  a 
Fitzherbert  certifying  that  their  father,  the  said  Herbert 
Fitzherbert,  died  at  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  United 
States  of  America,  in  November,  1830.  These  docu- 
ments, all  properly  attested,  can  leave  no  doubt  upon 
your  minds,  my  Lord  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  of  the 
personal  identity  of  the  young  people  here  present  in 
court ;  but,  my  Lord,  our  neighbors  over  the  water  are 
proverbial  for  their  keen  dealing — (casting  a  bitter  glance 
towards  me).  The  advertisement  which  I  have  already 
alluded  to,  promised  a  rich  field  for  harvest ;  and  although 
utterly  ignorant  of  the  nature  of  the  case  beyond  what 
was  shadowed  forth  in  the  advertisement ;  utterly  regard- 
less of  truth  or  consistency,  or  even  of  common  decency  ; 
impelled  only  by  the  keen  desire  of  gain,  two  persons, 
real  or  imaginary,  purporting  to  be  brother  and  sister, 
and  to  bear  the  same  names  as  the  rightful  heritors  of 
the  estate  in  question,  and  to  be  the  legitimate  children 
of  the  same  parent  are  brought  forward  in  the  hope — the 
feeble  hope — that  they  may  be  enabled  successfully  to 
contest  the  title,  and  obtain  a  position  to  which,  whether 
they  substantially  exist,  or  exist  only  in  the  imagination  of 
the  contestants,  they  have  not  the  faintest  shadow  of 
right. 

"  My  Lord  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  I  have  empha- 
sized the  words  substantially  or  only  in  the  imagination 
of  the  contestants,  because  I  am  not  in  reality  aware 
whether  such  parties  as  I  speak  of  really  exist,  and  1  have 
my  doubts  whether  the  whole  claim  has  not  been  trumped 
tin  with  the  object  of  obtaining  money  from  Lord  Alton, 
in  order  to  purchase  silence,  under  threats  of  trouble  and 
annoyance.  I  do  not  believe,  my  Lord,  that  the  opposite 
counsel  or  attorney  can  produce  their  clients  before  the 
court,  nor  say  where  they  can  be  found. 

"  However,  strong  in  the  strength  of  truth,  no  bribes 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  283 

have  been  offered  the  attorney  in  this  case  on  the  part 
of  the  Earl  of  Shropshire,  and  if  this  was  the  eject  of  the 
contestants,  they  have  been  disappointed.  I  shall  now, 
my  Lord  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  proceed  to  read 
aloud  to  the  court,  the  documents  I  have  in  my  posses- 
sion, and  to  call  in  witnesses  to  testify  that  they  were 
honestly  obtained;  also,  that  subsequently  to  our  obtain- 
ing possession  of  them  the  attorney  employed  by  the 
real  or  imaginary  contestants  did  start  from  London  to 
the  city  of  Canterbury,  and  did  visit  the  vestry  of  Christ 
Church,  in  the  aforesaid  city,  and  there  endeavor  to  ob- 
tain from  the  clerk  similar  copies  from  the  registers,  and 
also  sought  to  get  them  attested  by  the  said  clerk.  The 
copies  were  of  course  obtained,  but  the  clerk  refused  to 
attest  that  to  the  best  of  his  belief  the  parties  set  forth 
by  the  contestants  were  the  legitimate  children  of  the 
said  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  and  of  his  wife  the  said  Ellen 
Harcourt.  He  having  already  attested  on  behalf  of  the 
plaintiffs  sworn  to  be  such  by  their  attorney."  (Mr. 
Gripes  having  read  the  documents  copied  from  the  regis- 
ter at  Christ  Church,  Canterbury,  thus  continued). 

"  My  Lord  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  in  the  course 
of  a  long,  and  I  may  say  with  pride  a  pretty  successful 
practice  as  a  barrister,  I  do  not  know  that  I  can  recall  to 
rnind  an  instance  in  which  a  more  detestable,  a  more 
base  attempt  at  chicanery  has  been  employed.  In  the 
iirst  place,  look  at  the  absurdity  of  the  pretensions  of  our 
opponents  in  bringing  forward,  or  pretending  to  have  it 
in  their  power  to  bring  forward,  a  young  man  and  wo- 
man, brother  and  sister,  of  the  same  name,  and  purport- 
ing to  be  the  same  parties,  as  those  we  had  succeeded  in 
discovering  after  a  vast  deal  of  trouble  and  anxiety,  and 
at  a  considerable  expense.  What  was  the  motive,  my 
lord,  of  the  right  honorable  earl,  who  was  the  guardian 
of  these  estates  in  the  absence  of  his  former  ward,  Herbert 
Fitzherbert,  in  seeking  to  discover  whether  he  or  his 
heirs  were  living,  when  once  he  had  satisfied  himself 
that  the  title  to  the  estate,  so  long  in  abeyance,  was  still 
good,  excepting  that  it  was  his  desire  to  get  honorably 


284  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;   OR, 

quit  of  a  most  onerous  charge,  which  has  cost  him  years 
of  trouble  and  anxiety,  without  affording  him  the  slight- 
est recompense,  except  the  proud  consciousness  that  he 
was  doing  his  duty  ;  for  I  am  prepared  to  show  that  every 
farthing  of  the  rental  that,  for  many  long  years  prior  and 
subsequently  to  his  ward,  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  having 
attained  his  majority,  his  lordship  has  received,  has 
been  carefully  invested  in  behalf  of  his  ward  or  his  heirs, 
male  or  female,  together  with  the  interest  that  has  accu- 
mulated during  those  long  and  tedious  years.  My  lord, 
is  it  not  enough  to  make  the  very  stones  in  the  street 
blush  crimson,  when  one  thinks  upon  the  obloquy  sought 
to  be  cast  upon  the  head  of  one  of  the  noblest  and  most 
esteemed  of  P^ngland's  peers?  It  may  be  pretended  by 
the  contestants  that  the  right  honorable  earl  has  been 
deceived  by  his  agents,  in  the  parties  whom,  with  much 
difficulty,  have  been  hunted  up  from  the  obscurity  into 
which  they  had  fallen  in  the  transatlantic  States,  whither 
their  parents  had  emigrated;  but,  my  lord,  does  this  ap- 
pear probable  ?  will  it  for  one  moment  bear  consideration  ? 
Are  not  the  reasons  I  have  given  for  this  flagrant,  shame- 
ful and  most  barefaced  attempt  at  imposition,  for  more 
plausible — far  more  likely  to  be  correct?  I  solicit  your 
lordship's  consideration  of  the  circumstances ;  I  ask  the 
consideration  of  an  honest  and  intelligent  jury?  My 
lord,  we  seek  right  and  justice,  and  nothing  more.  Let 
it  be  proven  that  we  are  wrong;  that  his  lordship;  the 
agents  he  has  employed  to  discover  the  heirs;  the  attor- 
neys who,  with  the  most  patient  and  praiseworthy  dili- 
gence, have  made  the  most  minute  investigations — have 
all  been  deceived,  and  that  those  parties  whom  we  truly 
believe  to  be  the  lawfully  begotten  heirs  of  Herbert  Fitz- 
herbert, are  not  so  in  truth ;  let  it  be  shown  satisfacto- 
rily that  they  are  impostors,  and  his  lordship  will  natu- 
rally feel  rejoiced  in  resigning  his  trust  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  veritable  heirs ;  but  we  shall  want  better  proof 
than  they,  I  doubt,  are  prepared  to  give ;  and  your  lord- 
ship has  had  too  much  experience  on  the  bench,  and  the 
intelligent  jury  I  see  before  me,  have  too  much  good 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WIIONGS.  285 

sense  and  good  feeling  to  be  led  away  by  specious  pre- 
tences. I  shall  say  no  more,  as  I  have  witnesses  present 
who  will  swear  to  the  truth  of  rny  statements  respecting 
the  copying  of  these  documents,  (handing  them  up  to  the 
judge  and  to  the  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  for  their  in- 
spection,) and  the  gentleman  who  has  the  honor  to  be 
connected  with  me  in  this  case,  will  now  call  them  for- 
ward." 

Mr.  Snap  arose  and  called — 

"  John  Withers." 

The  witness  stepped  forward  to  the  witness-box,  and 
the  customary  oath  was  administered  : 

u  You  are  the  sexton  of  Christ  Church,  Canterbury?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord,"  replied  the  witness. 

Mr.  Snap  smiled,  and  a  suppressed  titter  ran  round  the 
court. 

"You  must  not  address  me  as  'my  lord,'  my  good 
man."  said  he.  "Just  answer  plainly  '  yes' or  'no' to 
such  questions  as  may  be  put  to  you.  I  ask  you  whether 
you  are  the  sexton  of  Christ  Church,  in  the  city  of 
Canterbury?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  on  the  fifth  of  April  last,  the  gentleman  I  am 
now  pointing  out,  Mr.  Cheatem,  called  at  the  vestry  of 
the  church  and  asked  to  see  the  register?" 

"Yt-s,  sir." 

Mr.  Hughes  here  interposed,  saying — 

"  My  lord,  1  object  to  these  questions.  Will  your 
lordship  please  to  direct  the  witness  to  state  simply  what 
occurred  at  that  date,  in  Canterbury,  between  the  gentle- 
man spoken  of  and  himself?" 

"  The  witness  will  confine  himself  simply  to  a  state- 
ment of  what  took  place  on  the  occasion  alluded  to," 
said  the  judge. 

"  I  am  perfectly  willing  that  such  be  the  case,"  said 
Mr.  Snap,  blandly.  "  I  assure  the  gentleman  opposite 
there  is  not  the  slightest  occasion  for  us  to  put  leading 
questions  to  the  witnesses  in  this  matter." 

The  witness  continued — 


286  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

On  the  5th  of  April  last,  the  gentleman  sitting  there 
(pointing  to  Mr.  Cheatem)  called  at  my  house  in  Dover- 
street,  Canterbury,  and  requested  me  to  accompany  him 
to  the  vestry  of  Christ  Church,  as  he  wished  to  ex 
amine  the  register." 

"  And  you  did  so?"  asked  Mr.  Snap. 

"  1  did  so." 

"  Was  the  gentleman  alone  ?" 

"  No.  He  was  accompanied  by  a  young  gentleman 
and  lady." 

"  Should  you  recognise  them  again  were  you  to  see 
them  ?" 

"  I  think  I  should.5' 

"  But  you  are  not  certain  ?"  exclaimed  Mr.  Hughes. 

"  To  the  best  of  my  belief,  I  should  be  able  to  recog- 
nise them." 

Cast  your  eyes  along  the  bench  on  which  those  gentle- 
men and  ladies  are  seated,  and  say  if  they  are  seated 
among  them,"  said  Mr.  Snap. 

The  old  man  carefully  wiped  the  glasses  of  his  spec- 
tacles, and  having  occupied  some  time  with  fixing 
them,  peered  earnestly  in  the  direction  pointed  out  to 
him. 

"Do  you  see  the  gentleman  or  the  lady  there?"  en- 
quired Mr.  Snap,  after  waiting  for  a  minute  or  so. 

"  I  do,  sir  ;  to  the  best  of  my  belief  they  are  sitting 
there,"  pointing  his  linger  to  the  spot  where  the  two 
parties  who  were  personating  the  Fitzherberts  were 
seated. 

"Da  you  recollect  the  names  of  these  persons?"  in- 
terrupted Mr.  Hughes. 

"  Keally,  my  lord,"  interposed  Mr.  Gripes,  "  I  must 
say  this  is  altogether  out  of  rule.  The  counsel  has  been 
two  or  three  times  interrupted  with  frivolous  questions 
and  objections,  which  can  in  no  way  affect  the  evidence 
of  the  witnesses  or  prejudice  the  case  in  the  minds  of  the 
jury." 

"  It  is  no  matter,"  said  Mr.  Snap  to  his  senior,  "  let 
the  witness  reply.  I  will  put  the  question,  if  the  learned 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  287 

counsel  on  the  opposite  side  chooses.     Do  you  recollect 
the  names  of  the  parties,  Mr.  Withers?" 

"  I  am  not  good  at  recollecting  names,"  replied  the 
witness,  "  but  I  recollect  these  because  they  were  out  of 
the  common,  and  because,  the  surname  was  that  of  a 
gentleman  and  lady  whom  I  knew  well  by  sight,  and 
who  at  one  time  lived  near  Canterbury.  The  gentleman 
and  lady  were  introduced  to  me  as  Mr.  and  Miss  Fitz- 
herbert." 

"  What  followed  ?"  said  Mr.  Snap. 

"The  party  went  into  the  vestry,  and  after  Mr. 
Cheatem  had  searched  the  register  for  some  time,  he 
left  the  vestry,  and  said  he  should  call  on  the  following 
day  with  a  law  clerk,  and  obtain  copies  of  the  registry 
of  a  birth  and  marriage." 

"And  did  he  call?" 

"  He  did,  and  obtained  fair  and  accurate  copies  of 
the  registries." 

"  What  followed  ?" 

"  An  old  lady  was  sent  for  by  the  gentleman,  who 
had  been  many  years  before  in  the  service  of  Captain 
and  Mrs.  Fitzherbert,  and  who  had  nursed  Herbert 
Fitzherbert,  the  registry  of  whose  birth  was  one  of 
the  documents  copied.  She  had  also  been  present  at 
his  wedding  with  Miss  Harcourt,  as  was  I.  The  old 
lad}r  was  confronted  with  the  young  gentleman  and 
lady,  and  asked  if  they  bore  any  resemblance  to  Her- 
bert Fitzherbert.  She  at  once  recognised  them,  and 
shed  tears  of  joy,  for  she  had  been  very  fond  of  the 
child  she  had  nursed.  She  was  asked  if  she  would 
swear  that,  to  the  best  of  her  belief,  they  were  the  chil- 
dren of  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  and  she  willingly  did  so 
in  my  presence.  I  also  took  oath  to  the  same  effect, 
for  I  recollect  Master  Herbert  from  a  boy,  and  the  young 
gentleman,  at  least,  is  uncommonly  like  him." 

"That  will  do  for  the  present,"  said  Mr.  Snap. 
"  You  can  stand  down,  witness.  Let  Jane  Adams  be 
called." 

An  old  lady,  whose  age  must  have  been  near  seventy 


288  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;    OK, 

but  whose  countenance  yet  showed  great  vivacity  and 
intelligence,  made  her  way,  with  some  difficulty  to  the 
witness-box.  In  consideration  of  her  age,  she  was  ac- 
commodated with  a  chair.  The  customary  oath  having 
been  administered — 

"Your  name  is  Jane  Adams  ?"  said  Mr.  Snap. 

"  It  is,  sir." 

"  Will  you  have  the  kindness,  Jane  Adams,  to  state 
what  occurred  to  you  at  Canterbury,  when  you  were 
lately  called  upon  to  witness  the  fair  copy  from  the  re- 
gister, of  the  dnte  of  the  birth  and  the  marriage  of  Her- 
bert Fitzherbert  ?" 

The  old  dame  stated  that  she  had  been  the  nurse  of 
Herbert  when  he  was  an  infant ;  that  she  had  loved  him 
as  one  of  her  own  children,  for  she  had  just  lost  a  child 
of  her  own  at  this  time,  and  that  had  made  her  take 
more  kindly  to  the  babe;  that  on  the  occasion  of  his 
marriage  he  had  called  upon  her  and  made  her  go  and 
witness  the  ceremony,  and  had  also  made  her  a  hand- 
some present ;  that  the  young  gentleman  and  lady  she 
lately  saw  at  Canterbury  were  the  very  image  of  Her- 
bert, and  that  she  had  sworn  that  to  the  best  of  her 
belief  they  were  his  children.  This  was  the  substance 
of  the  old  lady's  testimony,  which  was  mingled  with 
many  expressions  of  fondness  for  the  child  she  had 
nursed,  and  whom  she  believed  to  be  their  parent. 

"  Would  you  wish  to  ask  this  witness  any  ques- 
tions?" said  Mr.  Snap,  turning  to  the  opposite  counsel. 

"  No,"  replied  both  Mr.  Hughes  arid  Mr.  Green,  and 
the  witness  was  told  she  might  withdraw. 

"  Call  the  Right  Honorable  the  Earl  of  Shropshire," 
said  Mr.  Snap. 

His  lordship  stepped  forward  from  the  bench  on  which 
he  was  seated,  and  took  his  place  in  the  witness-box,  and 
was  duly  sworn. 

"  Your  lordship  has  heard  the  statements  of  the  senior 
counsel  respecting  your  guardianship  over  the  Bramp- 
ton  manor  property.  I  wish  to  ask"  your  lordship 
whether  they  are  substantially  correct?" 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  289 

"  They  are,"  replied  the  earl. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  trouble  your  lordship  further," 
said  Mr.  Snap ;  and  the  earl  was  about  to  retire,  when 
Mr.  Hughes  said: 

"  I  should  wish  to  put  one  question  to  his  lordship. 
I  would  ask  if,  on  his  lordship's  oath,  he  believes  the 
young  gentleman  and  lady  now  in  this  court,  are  the 
real  and  legitimate  offspring  of  his  former  ward, 
Herbert  Fitzherbert  ?" 

"  I  do,"  replied  the  earl. 

"  May  I  ask  on  what  grounds,  my  lord  ?" 

"  I  object  to  that  question  I"  exclaimed  Mr.  Gripes. 

Some  discussion  was  about  to  arise  relating  to  the 
question,  which  the  earl  prevented  by  stating  his  perfect 
willingness  to  reply. 

"  I  believe  them  to  be  so,"  said  he.  "  In  the  first  place, 
because  on  my  instituting  a  search  for  the  heirs  of  my 
former  ward  in  America,  this  young  gentleman  and  lady 
were  discovered  with  great  difficulty  by  the  agent  I  dis- 
patched to  the  United  States  for  that  purpose.  Secondly, 
in  consequence  of  their  having  fully  satisfied  me  by  their 
replies  to  questions  which  have  been  put  to  them,  which 
questions  none  but  the  children  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert 
could  have  satisfactorily  replied  to  ;  and  thirdly,  because 
of  the  great  family  resemblance  they  bear  to  my  former 
ward,  and  to  his  mother,  Eleanor  Fitzherbert." 

"  I  am  satisfied,"  said  Mr.  Hughes,  and  the  earl  left 
the  witness-box  and  returned  to  his  seat  on  the  bench. 

Mr.  Gripes  rose  : — 

"  I  think,  my  lord,"  he  said,  "  it  is  quite  unnecessary 
to  question  any  more  witnesses.  I  have  stated  the  case 
plainly  and  fairly.  My  statements  have  been  corrobo- 
rated  as  far  as  they  possibly  can  be.  Of  course,  in  such 
a  peculiar  case  as  this,  in  which  the  plaintiffs  and  ihe  de- 
fendants, if  there  be  any  in  reality,  are  entirely  ignorant 
of  the  nature  of  the  proceedings  beyond  what  they  have 
heard  from  their  counsel,  and  which  rests  solely  upon 
the  proofs  adduced  as  to  the  identity  of  the  parties.  I 

13 


290  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OK, 

shall,  therefore,  rest  the  case  on  the  part  of  the  plaintiffs 
as  it  now  stands." 

The  Court  took  a  recess  for  the  purpose  of  refresh- 
ment, and  on  its  return,  Mr.  Hughes  rose  and  opened 
the  case  for  the  defendants : 

"  My  lord,"  said  he,  "  I  am  well  aware  that  the  pe- 
culiar features  of  the  civil  action  now  before  the  court, 
permit  of  great  advantages  on  the  part  of  the  plaintiffs. 
Mere  circumstantial  evidence  can  alone  be  adduced  on 
either  side  to  furnish  proof  of  personal  identity,  and  under 
such  circumstances  those  who  are  first  in  the  field  must 
necessarily  obtain  great  vantage  ground.  The  case  of 
the  plaintiffs,  as  it  has  been  laid  before  the  court,  rests 
upon  the  mere  personal  resemblance  of  the  parties  to 
their  supposed  parent ;  for  as  to  the  copies  of  the  entries 
in  the  register  at  Christ's  Church,  Canterbury,  any 
stranger  could  have  obtained  those  copies,  and  had  we 
been  fortunate  enough  to  have  been  first  to  seek  out 
these  registrations,  we  might  also  have  obtained  the  like 
testimony  in  behalf  of  our  clients,  from  the  witness 
whom  the  counsel  for  the  plaintiffs  has  brought  for- 
ward— " 

"  Provided,"  interrupted  Mr.  Gripes,  "  provided  your 
clients  had  been  present  and  had  borne  so  striking  a  re- 
semblance to  Herbert  Fitzherbert." 

"  Exactly  so,"  calmly  continued  Mr.  Hughes.  "  The 
jury  has  therefore  to  decide  simply,  whether  our  clients 
or  the  plaintiffs  are,  according  to  the  testimony,  most 
likely  to  be  the  legitimate  heirs  of  the  deceased  Herbert 
Fitzherbert.  That  there  is  gross  deception  somewhere 
is  evident,  although  the  principals,  on  both  sides,  may 
be  ignorant  of  any  participation  in  it,  and  are,  therefore, 
more  to  be  pitied  than  blamed,  /am  fully  convinced, 
my  Lord  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  that  my  clients 
are  the  children  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  and  are  entitled 
to  the  lights  and  claims  now  contested  and  brought 
before  this  court  for  adjudication.  Nevertheless,  I  am 
not  prepared  to  say  that  the  plaintiffs  are  aware  of 
the  false  part  ;hey  are  acting.  They  m^y  be  deceived 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  291 

— they  may  be  but  tools  in  the  hands  of  subtle 
workmen,  who  are  using  them  for  their  own  pur- 
poses. If,  my  lord,  the  counsel  for  the  plaintiffs  are  so 
certain,  as  they  assume  to  be,  of  the  justice  of  their 
cause,  why  was  not  the  case  openly  and  fairly  brought 
into  court?  Why  was  it  sought  to  make  it  a  case 
wherein  the  Lord  Chancellor  had  control  as  guar- 
dian of  the  heirs  Fitzherbert,  while  the  guardian  ap- 
pointed by  the  donor  is  still  living?  It  was  only 
through  Mr.  Ferret,  the  attorney  employed  by  my 
clients,  having  discovered  that  the  Earl  of  Shropshire 
was  the  appointed  guardian  of  the  contested  property, 
that  the  case  was  referred  from  the  Ecclesiastical  to  the 
Civil  Courts.  Why,  my  lord,  has  a  system  of  flagrant 
persecution  been  carried  on  against  my  clients,  from  the 
first  moment  they  were  discovered,  by  mure  chance,  in 
New  York,  until  the  present  time,  if  the  counsel  for  the 
plaintiffs  considered  their  case  a  fair  and  honest  one? 
I  have  proof,  my  lord,  that  a  most  iniquitous  system — " 

"  My  Lord,"  interrupted  Mr.  Gripes,  "  I  must  beg  your 
lordship  to  put  a  stop  to  the  course  of  argument  adopted 
by  the  counsel  for  the  defendants.  The  court  is  open, 
my  lord,  for  the  trial  of  the  case  Fitzherbert  vs.  Fitz- 
herbert, and  it  has  not  assembled  for  the  purpose  of 
listening  to  the  details  of  an  imaginary  conspiracy,  or 
to  hear  base  insinuations  against  the  character  of  a 
nobleman  of  high  rank,  and  of  the  strictest  honor  and 
integrity." 

"  If  the  counsel  for  the  plaintiffs  object  to  the  course 
pursued  by  the  counsel  for  the  defendants,"  said  the 
judge,  "  I  shall  request  him  to  adhere  strictly  to  the 
circumstances  of  the  case,  as  it  stands  before  the  court. 
His  language  certainly  refers  to  matters  foreign  and  ir- 
relevant to  the  question  now  in  coupt,  otherwise  I  should 
iiave  allowed  him  to  proceed." 

"  In  that  case,  my  lord,"  said  Mr.  Hughes,  "  I  at  once 
proceed  to  call  my  witnesses." 

I  was  the  first  witness  called  upon,  and  having  taken 


292  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

rny  place  in  the  witness  box,  and  had  the  oath  adminis- 
tered, Mr.  Hughes  thus  addressed  me : 

"  Your  name,  sir,  is ?" 

I  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

"  You  are  a  native  of  the  United  States  of  Ame- 
rica?" 

"  I  am;  and  by  profession  an  attorney-at-law." 

"  And  were  acquainted  with  two  parties  in  that 
country  representing  themselves  to  be  Adolphus  and 
Georgiana  Fitzherbert,  children  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert, 
of  England,  who  died  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania?" 

"  I  was,  and  still  am." 

"  My  lord,"  interrupted  Mr.  Gripes,  "  I  object  to  this 
method  of  putting  leading  questions  to  the  witness.  In 
doing  this,  I  do  but  return  the  compliment  of  the  coun- 
sel for  the  defendants,  when  the  witnesses  on  behalf  of 
the  plaintiffs  were  called,"  added  he,  looking  vindic- 
tively at  Mr.. Hughes. 

"  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  put  no  questions  to  Mr. 

,"  replied  Mr.  Hughes.  u  He  can  relate  his  own 

story." 

"  In  which,  I  presume,  he  is  pretty  well  posted  up," 
said.Mr.  Gripes,  sneeringly. 

"  My  lord,"  said  Mr.  Hughes,  "  I  claim  the  protection 
of  the  court ;  this  is  insulting." 

His  lordship  sternly  rebuked  Mr.  Gripes  for  his  in- 
sulting language,  and  I  proceeded  to  relate  what  I 
knew  regarding  the  Fitzherberts — facts  with  which  the 
reader  is  already  acquainted.  1  had,  however,  scarcely 
commenced,  when  Mr.  Cheatem  whispered  in  the  ear  of 
Mr.  Gripes,  who  rose,  and  in-  his  turn,  said  something  in 
a  low  voice  to  his  senior." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Gripes,  aloud,  to  the  observation 
of  his  junior  counsel,  aad  then  addressing  the  judge, 
he  said — 

"  I  would  wish,  rny  lord,  to  put  a  question  to  the 
witness." 

"  You  can  do  so,  sir,"  said  the  judge. 

''  Pray,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Gripes,  addressing  me,  "  where 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WIIOXGS.  293 

are  these  persons  representing  themselves  to  be  the 
heirs  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  of  whom  you  are  telling 
this  very  plausible  story  ?  We  have  produced  our  clients 
before  the  court,  and  would  wish  to  be  satisfied  whether 
\ve  are  fighting  with  reality  or  a  mere  shadow — with 
poor  persecuted  shades,"  added  he,  smiling  triumph- 
antly at  Snap  and  Cheatem,  who  appeared  to  share  his 
humor.  N 

*'  I  must  refer  you  to  the  counsel  for  the  defendants," 
said  I. 

"Of  course,"  replied  he,  and  again  the  triumphant 
smile  passed  over  his  visage  as  he  said,  with  peculiar 
emphasis : 

"  Can  the  learned  counsel  produce  his  clients  before 
the  court?  I  am  sure  it  would  be  satisfactory  to  his 
lordship  and  to  the  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  as  well  as 
to  our  humble  selves,  to  know  that  we  are  fighting  real 
flesh  and  blood." 

Mr.  Hughes  bowed,  and  whispered  in  the  ear  of  Mr. 
Green,  who  rose  and  slipped  out  of  the  Court  House.  I 
went  on  with  my  testimony,  and  in  a  few  minutes  Mr. 
Green  returned,  leading  in  our  clients,  the  veritable 
Adolphus  and  Georgiana  Fitzherbert,  accompanied  by 
Mrs.  Lyman. 

A  murmur  of  astonishment  ran  throughout  the  court, 
amidst  which,  half  stifled  exclamations  were  heard,  of — 

"  Good  Heavens  !  what  a  strong  resemblance!" 

"  It  would  be  hard  to  tell  one  from  the  other  if  tho 
whole  four  stood  side  by  side" — and  so  forth. 

The  judge  could  scarcely  control  his  own  astonish- 
ment, consistently  with  his  dignity,  and  the  various 
counsel  seated  around  the  table,  did  not  attempt  to 
do  so.  « 

Georgiana  blushed  deeply  at  finding  herself  the  ob- 
served of  all  observers,  and  Adolphus  was  visibly 
discomposed  ;  while  their  counterparts  on  the  bench, 
beside  the  Earl  of  Shropshire,  were  evidently  agitated 
and  alarmed.  As  for  the  earl  himself,  he  turned  pale 
as  death,  and  after  asking  an  officer  of  the  court  for  a 


29-i  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

glass  of  water,  which  ho  drank  off  hastily,  he  rose  and 
quitted  the  Court  House.  Blank  astonishment  and  dis- 
may was  visible  in  the  features  of  Messrs.  Gripes,  Snap 
and  Cheatem,  the  latter  of  whom  appeared  to  be  espe- 
cially disconcerted. 

"  Silence !"  at  length  exclaimed  the  Crier  of  the  court, 
for  the  murmuring  whispers  made  it  more  resemble  a 
meeting  on  'Change  than  a  solemn  court,  and  silence  hav- 
ing been  restored,  I  completed  my  evidence,  and  retired 
from  the  witness  box,  taking  my  seat  between  Adolphus 
and  Georgiana,  both  of  whom  appeared  to  be  struck  with 
the  appearance  of  Cheatem,  who  kept  his  face  turned  from 
them  as  much  as  possible.  Mrs.  Lyman  was  called  into 
the  witness  box  by  Mr.  Hughes,  and  he  directed  her  to 
gtate  all  she  knew  relating  to  the  identity  of  his  clients. 

The  lady  mentioned  the  facts  of  her  having  recog- 
nized the  portrait  of  her  sister,  in  a  miniature  which. 
had  been  worn  by  Adolphus  since  his  birth,  and  stated, 
likewise,  that  that  sister  had  married  Herbert  Fitzher- 
bert,  and  with  him  emigrated  to  the  United  States ; 
also,  the  meeting  of  the  brother  and  sister  in  the  con- 
vent of  St.  Euphemia,  and  their  immediate  recognition  of 
each  other.  She  added,  that  she  was  as  certain  in  her 
own  mind,  as  that  she  herself  was  living,  that  the  de- 
fendants in  the  present  case  were  her  nephew  and  niece, 
and  the  children  and  heirs  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert  and 
her  sister  Ellen  Harcourt. 

The  testimony  of  Mrs.  Lyman,  following  directly  upon 
that  given  by  me,  evidently  produced  considerable  effect 
on  the  minds  of  the  jury,  and  Mr.  Hughes  requested  that 
the  sexton  of  Christ  Church  and  the  witness  Jane  Adams 
might  be  recalled. 

While  the  usher  of  the  court  was  absent  on  this  duty, 
Georgiana  whispered  to  me  that  Mr.  Cheatem,  whom  she 
pointed  out,  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  man  who 
had  accompanied  her  to  Southampton,  and  taken  her 
on  board  the  Italian  brig;  and  Adolphus,  hearing  her 
remarks,  and  thus  having  his  own  attention  directed  to 
Cheatem,  said  that  he  had  also  an  indistinct  recollection 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  295 

of  seeing  the  same  person  on  the  night  that  he  was  taken 
on  board  the  man-of-war. 

"  Can  you  positively  assert  that  he  is  the  man  who 
carried  you  on  board  the  brig?"  said  I  to  Miss  Fitzher- 
bert. 

"  I  cannot  do  that,"  said  she,  "  because  that  dreadful 
man's  hair  was  white,  and  he  looked  older,  but  other- 
wise the  resemblance  is  perfect." 

In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes  I  had  mentioned  this 
to  Mr.  Hughes,  who  conversed  with  me  on  the  subject 
for  some  minutes.  Meanwhile,  the  witnesses  who*  had 
already  appeared  on  the  part  of  the  plaintiffs,  re-entered, 
and  were  cross-examined  by  Mr.  Green,  who,  pointing 
out  to  them,  respectively,  both  our  clients,  asked  if  they 
could  recognize  them. 

To  the  astonishment,  I  believe,  of  the  whole  court, 
they  both  promptly  replied,  they  could  not ;  while  a  smile 
of  triumph  again  lit  up  the  somewhat  down-fallen  visages 
of  Messrs.  Gripes,  Snap  and  Cheatem. 

I  had  noticed  Mr.  Snap  slip  out  hurriedly  when  they 
entered  the  court,  after  listening  to  some  whispered  re- 
mark of  Mr.  Cheatem's,  and  now  I  had  no  doubt  in  my 
own  mind  what  had  been  his  object  in  so  doing. 

"  Do  you  mean  to,  say,"  continued  Mr.  Green,  "  that 
notwithstanding  the  extraordinary  resemblance  between 
the  plaintiffs  and  the  defendants,  you  could,  after  the 
lapse  of  upwards  of  twenty  years,  perceive  a  strong  like- 
ness to  Herbert  Fitzherbert  in  the  plaintiffs,  and  none 
at  all  in  the  defendants?" 

Both  witnesses  persisted  that  such  was  the  case. 

"  Then  all  I  have  to  say,"  interrupted  Mr.  Hughes,  "is 
that  this  is  another  most  extraordinary  circumstance  in 
this  extraordinary  case." 

"  Have  you  any  more  witnesses  to  examine,  sir  ?" 
asked  the  judge. 

"I  have  not,  my  lord,"  replied  Mr.  Hughes;  "at 
least,  no  witnesses  that  I  could  bring  forward  could  make 
the  proofs  plainer  to  me,  and,  in  my  opinion,  to  all  dis- 
interested and  unprejudiced  persons,  of  the  personal 


296  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

identity  of  my  clients  and  the  veritable  heirs  Fitzherbert ; 
I  would,  however,  ask  your  lordship  permission  to  make 
one  observation  ?" 

"  You  can  do  so,  sir,"  said  the  judge. 

"  What  I  am  about  to  state  is  certainly  irrelevant  to 
the  present  case,  my  lord,  yet  it  goes  to  confirm  the 
testimony  of  the  witnesses  for  the  defendants  as  well  ns 
my  own  cognizance  of  the  existence  of  a  conspiracy  to 
obtain  possession  of  the  persons  of  my  clients,  with  the 
object  of  removing  them  from  England,  and  thus  placing 
every  obstacle  out  of  the  way  of  the  counsel  for  the 
plaintiffs.  I  am  aware  that  in  the  present  case  rny 
charge  will  be  useless,  but  it  may  satisfy  your  lordship 
and  the  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  that  I  have  strong  grounds 
for  believing  that  had  we,  on  our  side,  had  the  oppor- 
tunity afford  :d  us  of  bringing  the  plaintiffs  and  their 
abettors  and  counsel  to  trial  on  a  charge  of  fraud  and 
conspiracy,  they  could  never  have  been  in  a  position  to 
hasten  on  this  civil  action.  I  believe,'  my  lord,  that  one 
of  the  parties  in  connection  with  the  counsel,  can  be 
identified  as  having  been  a  party  in  the  forcible  abduc- 
tion of  one  of  our  clients — " 

Mr.  Gripes  rose,  and  addressing  the  judge,  said,  in  a 
hasty  and  agitated  tone  : 

"  My  lord,  this  course,  on  the  part  of  the  learned 
counsel  for  the  defendants,  is  altogether  unwarrant- 
able. I  must  beg  your  lordship  to  put  a  stop  to  it  at 
once." 

ITis  lordship  replied,  addressing  Mr.  Hughes : 

"  Whatever  may  be  my  own   private  opinion  regard-** 
ing  this  matter,  sir,  I  cannot  listen  to  assertions  such  as 
that  you  have  just  made.     You  must  be  aware  that  they 
are  entirely  out  of  place  and  unjustifiable,  and  cannot 
in  the  least  affect  the  verdict  in  the  present  case.     Had 
I  known  the  nature  of  the  observations  you  were  about 
to  make,  1  should  assuredly  have  refused  your  request. 
I  am  not 'here  now  to  give  an  opinion  upon  the  course 
you  still  have  it  in  your  power  to  pursue,  but  that  course, 
you  know  as  well  as  I  do.     1  shall  permit  of  no  further 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  297 

irrelevant  interruptions  of  this  description.  Let  the  case 
be  proceeded  with." 

Mr.  Gripes  rose  and  briefly  replied  to  the  remarks 
which  had  fallen  from  the  counsel  for  the  defendants, 
lie  said  that  the  facts  of  the  case  were  as  simple  as  they 
well  could  be,  and  all  the  attempts  on  the  part  of  the 
opposite  counsel  to  prejudice  the  cause  of  his  clients, 
would,  he  felt,  be  disregarded  by  his  lordship  in  sum- 
ming up,  and  by  the  gentlemen  of  the  jury  in  consider- 
ing their  verdict.  "Why, "said  he,  "have  not  these 
charges  been  urged  before  this?" 

"You  know  that  our  clients  could  not  be  found,  and 
we  had  not  sufficient  proof  to  furnish  basis  for  a  criminal 
action,"  interrupted  Mr.  Hughes. 

"I  must  insist  on  no  farther  useless  interruption,"  in- 
terposed the  Judge,  and  Mr.  Hughes  sat  down  and  ap- 
peared to  resign  himself  to  the  unfortunate  position  of 
his  clients'  case. 

Mr.  Gripes  proceeded : — 

"Why,  I  repeat,  was  not  all  this  urged  before?  It  is 
a  very  easy  matter  when  an  action  is  going  against  a 
party,  for  the  counsel  of  that  party  to  make  false  charges, 
but  they  seldom  have  any  effect  with  an  intelligent  jury, 
except  it  be  rather  to  prejudice  the  cause  of  those  wl-io 
urge  them ;  for  who  can  be  so  blind  as  not  to  perceive 
that  they  are  mere  unmeaning  assertions,  made  in  des- 
peration, and  I  am  sorry  to  add,  without  regard  to  hon- 
esty and  truth.  The  very  fact  of  the  personal  resemb- 
lance between  the  plaintiffs  and  the  defendants  only  goes 
to  show  how  cunningly  their  scheme  was  laid.  I  do  not 
blame  the  learned  counsel  for  the  defendants,  whose  po- 
sition at  the  bar,  and  whose  personal  character,  place 
him  above  suspicion ;  but  I  am  certainly  astonished  that 
one  who  has  deservedly  acquired  such  reputation  and 
distinction  in  his  profession  as  has  my  learned  brother, 
should  so  easily  have  become  the  dupe  of  a  scheming 
(lawyer)  as  he  calls  himself,  from  the  United  States.  The 
whole  affair,  my  lord  and  gentlemen,  is  a  transparent 
humbug,  to  use  an  expressive,  if  not  a  very  elegant  term, 

13* 


298  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

and  it  had  its  origin  in  a  land  famous  for  such  humbugs; 
but  this  attempt  to  palm  off  a  couple  of  adventurers, 
picked  up  at  some  out  of  the  way  place  in  the  United 
States,  as  the  heirs  of  the  Fitzherbert  property,  caps  the 
climax  of  humbugging.  It  beats  the  woolly  horse,  and 
the  mermaid,  and  the  wooden  nutmegs  of  Connecticut, 
that  I  have  read  of,  completely  hollow,  for  it  has  some- 
thing grand  in  its  aim,  and  had  it  succeeded,  would  have 
borne  away  the  palm  from  all  the  rest. 

"  I  will  merely  briefly  advert  to  the  testimony  of  one 
witness,  which  appeared  for  the  moment  to  have  some 
effect  upon  the  rninds  of  the  jury.  I  allude  to  the  dis- 
covery of  a  miniature  belonging  to  a  sailor  boy.  Truly 
a  satisfactory  manner  of  attempting  to  destroy  the  pre- 
sent identity  of  the  heirs  of  property  to  such  an  amount 
as  that  which  is  claimed  by  my  clients,  and  which  is 
now  in  the  care  of  their  late  father's  guardian,  the  Earl  of 
Shropshire !  I  have  no  doubt  the  lady  really  believes  that 
she  has  discovered  her  lost  relatives  in  the  persons  of  the 
defendants;  but  is  it  a  matter  of  very  great  surprise 
where  so  strong  a  resemblance  exists  between  four  young 
persons  that  the  mothers  of  the  brother  and  sister,  on 
both  sides,  should  likewise  resemble  each  other?  and 
while  speaking  of  this  family  resemblance,  and  my  Lord 
and  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  you  must  often  have  ob- 
served it  in  persons  who  bore  not  the  slightest  relation- 
ship to  each  other,  I  must  remind  you  that  the  instinct 
of  the  nurse,  even  after  a  long  period  of  years,  imme- 
diately recognized  the  children  of  him  she  had  nursed 
as  her  own  child,  while  her  aged  eyes  could  not  see  the 
mere  family  resemblance  so  perceptible  to  all  others.  This, 
my  lord,  is  a  beautiful  trait  of  the  instinct  of  natural  af- 
fection, to  which  I  beg  particularly  to  call  your  attention, 
and  also  especially  recommend  it  to  the  consideration  of 
the  gentlemen  of  the  jury.  I  will  detain  the  court  no 
longer.  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  you  have  heard  and 
seen  the  proofs  of  identity  we  bring,  you  have  also  heard 
and  seen  those  brought  against  us,  and  I  take  rny  seat  in 
perfect  confidence  that  your  good  sense  and  correct 


TIIE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  299 

judgment  will  lead  you  to  return  a  verdict  in  our 
favor." 

Mr.  Gripes  resumed  his  seat  and  the  Judge  commenced 
summing  up.  His  lordship  told  the  jury  that  they  must 
divest  themselves  of  all  prejudice  either  in  favor  of  one 
party  or  the  other,  and  only  take  into  consideration  the 
proofs  that  had  been  brought  forward  of  the  identity  of 
the  parties.  They  were  bound  in  the  first  place  to  con- 
sider that  the  ..plaintiffs  were  the  presumptive  heirs  to 
the  property  and  estates  under  the  guardianship  of  the 
Karl  of  Shropshire,  and  were  by  his  lordship,  acknow- 
ledged to  be  such.  Also,  that  they  had  replied  to  ques- 
tions (as  stated  by  his  lordship  on  oath)  which  could  only 
have  been  correctly  answered  by  the  children  of  Herbert 
Fitzherbert,  his  ward,  and  for  whose  heirs  he  still  held 
the  estate  in  trust.  They  must  consider  that  their  de- 
scent in  a  direct  line  from  Herbert  Fitzherbert  had  been 
traced  as  perfectly,  as,  under  the  circumstances,  it  was 
possible  that  it  could  be ;  and  taking  all  these  facts  into 
consideration,  they  must  judge  how  comparatively  easy 
it  was  for  a  party,  having  by  surreptitious  means  learnt 
the  nature  of  the  case,  to  bring  forward  other  and  strange 
parties,  for  improper  purposes,  to  contest  the  claims  with 
the  legitimate  heirs.  His  lordship  further  said  that  with 
regard  to  the  really  astonishing  resemblance  between  the 
plaintiffs  and  the  defendants,  in  his  opinion,  it  only  went 
to  show  that  there  had  been  the  most  gross  and  out- 
rageous chicanery  and  deceit  used  to  supplant^the  lawful 
heirs.  He  would  now  dismiss  them  to  consider  their 
verdict,  again  warning  them  to  efface  from  their  minds 
all  prejudices,  and  merely  to  consider  the  facts  as  pre- 
sented to  them  that  day. 

It  was  now  late  in  the  evening,  (about  eight  o'clock,) 
and  both  j  udge  and  j  ury  retired.  Great  excitement  pre- 
vailed in  the  town,  and  the  court-house  still  remained 
crowded,  while  the  street  outside  was  also  thronged  with 
people  anxious  to  hear  the  verdict. 

Mr.  Hughes  and  his  junior  counsel,  and  attorney,  with 
myself  were  greatly  cast  down  ;  for  in  our  opinion  there 


300  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

could  scarcely  be  a  doubt  in  whose  favor  the  verdict 
would  be  given ;  and  although  we  were  confident  of  the 
righteousness  of  our  clients'  cause,  we  could  not  do  other- 
wise than  acknowledge  that  the  facts  established  as  proofs 
of  identity  favored  the  fraudulent  parties. 

We  bitterly  lamented  that  no  opportunity  had  been 
afforded  us  of  bringing  a  criminal  action  against  them  in 
advance  of  the  civil  action  ;  but  we  had  not  had  proof 
sufficient,  therefore  it  was  useless  to  think  of  it. 

With  trembling  anxiety,  we  awaited  the  return  of  the 
jury  into  court. 

Nine  o'clock — ten  o'clock  struck,  and  still  the  jury 
did  not  return.  The  Judge  sent  in  to  know  if  there  was 
any  probability  of  their  agreeing  upon  their  verdict,  and 
the  messenger  returned  and  said  there  was  not — five  of 
the  party  were  obstinate,  and  there  was  no  sign  of  their 
agreeing  that  night. 

The  Judge  said  the  court  could  wait  no  longer,  and  in 
that  case  the  jury  must  remain  locked  up  all  night.  His 
lordship  then  adjourned  the  court  until  ten  o'clock  the 
next  morning,  and  the  anxious  spectators  returned  to 
their  homes. 

Just  as  Mr.  Hughes  and  I  were  leaving  the  court- 
house, a  servant  in  undress  livery  placed  a  letter  in  his 
hand.  He  read  it  by  the  light  of  a  gas  lamp,  and  im- 
mediately turned  to  the  man  who  was  waiting  for  a  re- 
ply, and  said : 

"  Tell  his  lordship  I  will  wait  upon  him  immediately." 

The  servant  hurried  away,  and  Mr.  Hughes,  saying 
to  me,  "  The  Earl  of  Shropshire  is  taken  suddenly  ill, 
and  desires  to  see  me  immediately,"  shook  me  hurriedly 
by  the  hand,  and  followed  the  footman  to  his  lordship's 
hotel. 

He  was  shown  up-stairs  to  the  bed-chamber  of  the 
earl  who  had  been  seized  with  a  fit  of  apoplexy,  and 
after  the  lapse  of  some  hours  he  had  but  just  returned  to 
a  state  of  consciousness.  He  was  lying  in  bed  and 
three  or  four  physicians  were  in  the  room  in  attendance 
upon  him. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  801 

When  Mr.  Hughes  was  announced,  his  lordship  opened 
his  eyes,  and  beckoned  him  to  the  bedside,  and  whisp- 
ered in  a  feeble  voice  that  he  wished  the  physicians  and 
every  person  in  the  room  but  Mr.  Hughes  himself  to 
withdraw  for  a  few  minutes. 

Mr.  Hughes  mentioned  his  lordship's  request,  and  was 
left  alone  with  the  prostrate  nobleman,  who,  it  was  plain 
to  perceive,  although  he  bad  temporarily  recovered  his 
faculties  of  mind,  was  fast  failing,  and  could  not  long 
survive. 

Mr.  Hughes  expressed  his  regrets  to  see  his  lordship  in 
such  a  sad  condition. 

The  earl  took  his  hand. 

"It  is — no  time  to — speak  of  regret,"  said  he.  "I — 
am  dying — you  are  the  counsel  for  the  defendants — in 
— the — case — now  before — the  Court?" 

"  I  am,  my  lord." 

"  The  case — is — not  yet  decided  ?" 

"  The  jury,  my  lord,  are  now  locked  up  for  the  night ; 
they  cannot  agree  upon  the  verdict;  but  I  have  no 
doubt  the  verdict  will  be  returned  upon  the  opening  of 
the  Court  in  the  morning." 

"  How — what — is — your  opinion — you  know  what  I 
would  ask  ?"  said  the  dying  earl. 

"  The  verdict,  my  lord,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying, 
will  be  adverse  to  rny  clients." 

The  earl  sunk  back  on  his  pillow,  and  closed  his  eyes. 
Mr.  Hughes  thought  that  the  last  moment  had  come, 
and  was  upon  the  point  of  summoning  the  physicians, 
when  the  earl  again  revived,  ai^l  looking  at  him  for  a 
few  moments  as  though  he  did  not  recollect  him,  and 
was  recalling  his  scattered  senses,  he  said : 

"  Ah,  yes — the  verdict — it  must  not  be.  I  cannot 
die  with  that  guilt  on  my  head — send  for  Father  An- 
selmo — and  my  daughter.  Where  is  Lady  Mary  ?" 

Mr.  Hughes  had  been  told  on  entering  the  hotel  that 
messengers  had  been  dispatched  to  Alton  Castle  to  ac> 
quaint  Lady  Mary  and  the  confessor,  of  the  earl's  dan> 
gerous  illness  ;  but  there  was  little  hope  of  their  reach- 


302  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

ing  Huntingdon  before  liis  death.  He  therefore  told 
his  lordship  that  his  daughter  had  been  sent  for,  and 
Father  Anselrno  also ;  but  that  if  he  had  anything  to 
say  that  would  affect  the  case  before  the  Court,  now 
only  awaiting  the  verdict  of  the  jury,  he  must  say  it 
quickly. 

"  All,"  said  the  earl,  "  yes,  now  I  recollect.  I  have 
wronged — deeply,  grievously  wronged  Herbert,  and  I 
have  sought  to  wrong  his  children — and  my  poor  child 
— my  darling  Mary — but  what?  Give  me  a  glass  of 
wine.  I  feel  faint." 

Mr.  Hughes  did  as  he  requested,  and  after  drinking  it, 
his  lordship  lay  for  a  few  moments  quiet,  he  then  again 
motioned  Mr.  Hughes  to  raise  him  up,  and  proceeded  to 
state  more  distinctly  what  he  wished  to  say,  for  the  wine 
had  greatly  revived  him. 

I  will  relate  in  a  few  words  the  substance  of  his  state- 
ment, as  subsequently  told  me  by  Mr.  Hughes. 

His  lordship  said  that  when  he  saw  Adolphus  and 
Georgiana  enter  the  court,  he  had  experienced  a  sensa- 
tiou  as  though  the  blood  had  rushed  from  his  heart  to 
his  brain.  The  form  of  his  deceased  ward,  Herbert,  ap- 
peared to  have  risen  from  the  tomb  to  reproach  him  for 
his  perfidy.  It  was  with  difficulty  he  could  so  far  con- 
trol his  feelings  as  to  enable  him  to  leave  the  court  and 
return  to  his  hotel.  On  reaching  it,  he  had  retired  to 
his  chamber,  where  he  had  been  seized  with  a  fit  of 
apoplexy,  from  which  he  had  just  revived  when  he  di- 
rected Mr.  Hughes  to  be  sent  ibr. 

He  related  to  him  briefly,  and  in  disconnected  sen- 
tences, that  which  the  reader  already  knows,  that  a  con- 
spiracy had  been  formed  with  the  aid  of  his  lordship's 
legal  advisers  to  defraud  the  legitimate  heirs  of  Herbert 
Fitzherbert  of  their  rights ;  but,  now  he  felt  his  end  was 
approaching  and  he  could  not  die  with  that  guilt  upon 
his  head.  He  asked  Mr.  Hughes  what  course  he  could 
pursue  to  rescue  the  victims  of  his  avarice  and  ambition 
from  the  ruin  which  awaited  them. 

Mr.  Hughes  replied,  that,  now  the  trial  was  over,  the 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  303 

only  thing  remaining  was  for  him  to  place  the  guardian 
ship  of  the  property  immediately  in  the  hands  of  the 
Lord  Chancellor,  who,  in  case  of  the  earl's  death  before 
the  decision  of  tfeP  trial,  would  be  the  legal  guardian. 
The  case  would  be  then  necessarily  thrown  into  Chan- 
cery, and  could  only  be  decided  by  that  court  under 
whose  control  it  had  before  been  sought  to  place  it  ille- 
gally, as  his  lordship,  the  guardian  and  trustees  of  the 
estates,  was  still  living  and  in  the  possession  of  his  health 
and  faculties.  A  deed  now  drawn  out,  before  the  ver- 
dict was  pronounced,  to  the  effect  that  his  lordship's  in- 
firmities no  longer  allowed  him  to  retain  his  trust, 
would,  if  properly  signed  and  attested,  at  all  events  re- 
deem the  estates  from  the  possession  of  the  false  claim- 
ants. To  this  suggestion  his  lordship  gladly  assented, 
and  Mr.  Hughes  immediately  drew  out  a  deed,  to  which 
his  lordship,  with  difficulty,  affixed  his  seal  and  signa- 
ture— for  he  was  fast  failing.  The  deed  was  attested  by 
the  medical  gentlemen  in  attendance,  who  were  called  in 
for  that  purpose,  and  by  the  landlord  of  the  hotel,  also 
by  Mr.  Hughes  himself. 

This  having  been  done,  the  dying  man  again  mo- 
tioned Mr.  Hughes  to  come  near  him,  and  begged  him 
to  promise  never  to  betray  the  guilty  part  he  (his  lord- 
ship) had  acted  in  this  matter.  He  murmured  something 
that  Mr.  Hughes  could  not  make  out,  excepting  that  he 
heard  the  word  "  daughter"  mentioned  once  or  twice, 
and  then  there  was  a  rattling  in  the  throat,  a  few  brief 
struggles,  and  the  proud  earl  fell  back  upon  his  pillow 
— dead. 

Mr  Hughes  and  one  of  the  physicians  looked  at  their 
watches.  It  was  three  o'clock ;  and  in  another  hour  the 
faint  grey  of  morning  began  to  steal  over  the  darkness. 
Mr.  Hughes  took  up  the  deed  and  left  the  hotel ;  he  was 
too  agitated  with  the  anxieties  of  the  day  before,  and  the 
impressive  and  solemn  scene  of  the  night,  to  think  of 
rest,  and  he  strolled  into  the  country  until  the  hour  of 
breakfast.  Having  partaken  of  a  very  slight  repast,  he 
hastened  to  the  Court  House,  which,  although  the  hour 


304  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

for  opening  the  court  had  not  yet  arrived,  was  already 
thronged  with  people. 

At  length  the  clang  of  trumpets  announced  the  ap- 
proach of  the  judge,  who  soon  ern»ed  and  took  his 
seat  on  the  bench.  The  crier  of  the  court  called  for 
silence. 

At  this  moment  I  entered  the  court-room,  and  seeing 
Mr.  Hughes  seated  in  his  place,  I  sat  myself  down  by  his 
side.  We  exchanged  greetings,  and  I  fancied  I  saw  an 
expression  of  subdued  triumph,  mingled  with  gravity 
and  anxiety,  in  his  countenance ;  but  I  had  not  time  to 
ask  him  anything  respecting  his  interview  with  the  earl, 
although  I  had  heard  a  rumor  that  I  did  not,  however, 
give  credit  to,  that  his  lordship  had  suddenly  expired 
during  the  night.  The  judge  asked  if  the  jury  had  con- 
sidered their  verdict.  He  was  informed  that  they  hud, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  they  entered  the  jury-box,  looking 
sadly  tired  and  half  asleep. 

Having  answered  to  their  names : — "  Gentlemen  of 
the  jury,"  inquired  the  judge,  "are  you  agreed  upon 
your  verdict  ?  Do  you  find  verdict  for  the  plaintiffs  or 
defendants  ?" 

"  For  the  plaintiffs,  my  lord,"  replied  the  foreman. 

A  smile  of 'triumph  lit  up  the  features  of  Messrs. 
Gripes,  Snap  and  Cheatem,  who  looked  arou-nd  at  the 
bench  beside  the  judge,  as  if  expecting  to  see  the  earl 
seated  there,  ready  to  share  in  the  triumph,  and  express 
his  thanks  for  their  arduous  services  in  having  brought 
it  about. 

The  clerk  of  the  court  was  proceeding  with  the  neces- 
sary duties,  when,  to  my  astonishment,  and  equally  to 
the  astonishment  of  all  in  court,  Mr.  Hughes  rose  up,  and 
taking  a  roll  of  papers  from  his  pocket,  said: 

"  My  lord,  I  hold  here  a  deed,  properly  signed  arid 
attested,  which  must  necessarily  set  aside  the  verdict 
of  the  jury,  and  throw  the  settlement  of  this  case  into 
Chancery.  The  Earl  of  Shropshire,  who  was  the 
gaardian  and  trustee  of  the  estates  in  litigation,  is  dead, 
a/id  dying  before  the  verdict  of  the  jury  was  rendered, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  305 

the  guardianship  falls  to  the  Lord  Chancellor.  It  rests 
with  the  Court  of  Chancery  now  to  decide  to  whom  the 
estate  belongs." 

A  dead  sUence  prevailed  in  court  for  some  moments. 
The  judge  and  the  members  of  the  bar,  and  spectators, 
instinctively  turned  their  eyes  to  the  bench  where  they 
had  seen  his  lordship  seated  in  health,  not  twenty-four 
hours  before. 

At  this  moment  a  messenger  was  sent  to  Mr.  Gripes, 
reporting  the  death  of  the  earl.  He  turned  pale,  and 
appeared  to  find  a  difficulty  in  breathing ;  but  at  length 
he  asked  to  see  the  deed  Air.  Hughes  held. 

"  I  will  pass  it  to  his  lordship,"  said  he,  pointedly,  at 
the  same  time  handing  it  to  the  judge.  His  lordship 
read  it  attentively,  and  returned  it,  giving  his  opinion 
of  its  perfect  legality. 

"Curse  the  jury,"  growled  the  discomfited  Gripes; 
"  why  did  they  not  deliver  their  verdict  last  night  ?" 

"  Do  you  think  there  is  any  mischief  in  the  wind  ?" 
asked  Cheatem. 

"I  can't  say  ;  but  a  pretty  affair  we've  made  of  it." 

The  trio  rose  from  their  seats  and  left  the  court,  and 
the  other  business  on  hand  was  proceeded  with. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  Lady  Mary  Alton  and  Father 
Anselmo  arrived,  the  former  to  find  her  father  and  the 
latter  his  patron — dead  ;  but  I  will  for  the  present  draw 
a  veil  over  the  grief  of  Lady  Mary  and  the  sorrowful 
regrets  of  the  good  Father  Anselmo.  I  shall  have  to 
speak  of  them  yet  again. 

Mr.  Hughes,  the  Fitzherberts,  Mrs.  Lyman,  and  I,  re- 
turned to  London  on  the  following  day.  We  were 
pretty  well  satisfied  now  that  s'ome  day  the  case  would 
be  decided  in  favor  of  the  rightful  heirs — but  when? 
that  was  another  question.  Mr.  Hughes  determined  to 
use  every  effort  to  forward  the  day  of  its  decision,  while, 
in  the  meantime,  Adolphus  expressed  an  earnest  desire 
to  do  something  that  would  enable  him  to  support  him- 
self and  his  sister ;  for  years  might  elapse  before  any 
further  action  was  taken  respecting  the  Brampton  estates 


306  *    THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

Mr.  Hughes  approved  of  his  wish,  and  promised  to  see 
what  he  could  do  to  assist  him,  and  I,  having,  as  I  con- 
ceived, done  all  that  duty  required  of  me  in  this  case, 
determined  to  make  a  short  tour  on  the  continent,  and 
then  to  return  to  the  United  States,  visiting  London  on 
my  way  home,  to  see  how,  by  that  time,  my  protegees 
were  getting  on. 


CHAPTEE  XXXI. 

The  return  home — Preparations  for  travel — A  serious  dis- 
cussion—  Cheatem  preaches  morality — A  man  of  the 
world  again  in  difficulty — Matrimony  the  last  resource. 

OUR  party  returned  to  London,  rather  crest  fallen,  it 
must  be  acknowledged,  although  after  all,  we  had  great 
reason  to  congratulate  ourselves ;  for,  to  tell  the  truth, 
Mr.  Hughes  had  confessed  to  me  thai  so  narrow  was  the 
foundation  on  which  he  had  built  his  hopes  of  success, 
that  he  had  all  along  had  a  foreboding  that  the  trial 
would  go  dead  against  us,  and  now,  as  matters  had  most 
unexpectedly  turned  out,  he  was  perfectly  satisfied  that 
the  decision  in  the  Court  of  Chancery  would  be  in  favor 
of  our  clients.  But  when  ?  Ah !  that  was  a  question 
difficult  to  answer.  Probably  he,  myself,  our  youthful 
friends,  aye,  even  their  children  might  be  mouldering'm 
the  grave  before  that  "decision  was  given,  according  to 
the  disgraceful  method  of  conducting  suits  in  the  Court 
of  Chancery.  Still  the  right  and  title  of  our  young 
friends  was  not  filched  from  them — irrevocably  lost — as 
it  would  have  been,  but  for  the  singular  and  totally  un- 
expected train  of  circumstances  which  had  led  to  the 
nullity  of  the  verdict  rendered  by  the  jury. 

We  arrived  in  London,  and  proceeded  immediately 
to  Clapham,  where  Mrs.  Hughes  was  anxiously  and 
tremblingly  awaiting  the  news.  Good,  kind-hearted, 
but  timid  woman !  She  had  not  dared  to  look  at  the 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.     •  307 

newspaper,  or  she  would  have  seen  how  matters  stood  in 
the  very  edition  of  the  London  Times  which  was  lying 
folded,  and  still  damp,  on  the  parlor  table.  If  they  had 
been  her  own  children  who  were  concerned  in  this  case, 
phe  could  not  have  been  more  anxious ;  but  she  and  Mr. 
Hughes  were  childless.  They  had  had  two  children,  a 
boy  and  a  girl,  both  of  whom  had  died  while  infants,  and 
with  all  a  woman's  yearning  for  some  one  to  love  who 
would  look  to  her  for  advice  and  support — who  would 
cling  to  lier  as  she  clung  to  the  husband  whom  she 
looked  to  for  protection  and  for  support  in  the  hour  of 
trial,  she  had,  as  I  have  already  observed,  began  to  re- 
gard Georgiana  almost  in  the  light  of  a  darling  child. 
She  trembled  like  an  aspen  leaf  as  we  entered  the  house, 
and  for  some  moments,  could  not  summon  courage,  so 
great  was  her  agitation,  to  welcome  us  home,  though, 
indeed,  a  welcome  was  apparent  in  every  expression  of 
her  benevolent  countenance. 

Mr.  Hughes  noticed  her  agitation,  as  we  none  of  us 
could  help  doing,  and  after  he  had  bestowed  upon  her 
the  usual  conjugal  kiss  of  affection  (while  poor  Geor- 
giana had  thrown  herself  into  her  arms  sobbing  like  a 
child,  for,  poor  girl !  Mrs.  Hughes  was  the  only  woman 
she  had  met  with  in  the  course  of  her  brief,  but  chec- 
quered  life,  who  had  acted  towards  her  like  a  mother,) 
he  said — 

.  "  So  we  have  returned  at  last  Jane,  dear,  much  the 
same  as  we  left" 

"  Then  the  suit  has  been  decided  against  you,"  inter- 
rupted she  ;  "  I  dreaded  as  much  ;  yet  how  anxiously  I 
hoped  and  prayed  it  might  be  otherwise.  There  now," 
she  added,  suddenly  brightening  up,  and  a  kind  smile 
beaming  on  her  countenance,  "  now  I  can  listen  to  all 
the  bad  news  you  may  have  to  tell  me.  It  was  only  the 
suspense  which  overpowered  me.  So  my  pet  Georgiana 
is  not  to  be  the  fine  lady  I  anticipated  she  was  to  be. 
Well,  never  rnind.  She  can  be  just  as  happy  ;  perhaps 
fur  happier  in  a  humbler  station.  I  suppose  had  things 
turned  the  other  way  she  would  have  been  too  proud  to 


308  •  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

have  remained  the  pleasant  companion  she  has  been 
to  me." 

"  Never,"  replied  Georgiana.  "  I  never  could  have 
forgotten  your  kindness,  nor  that  of  my  other  friends," 
looking  with  swimming  eyes  at  me,  Mr.  Hughes  and 
Mrs.  Lyman,  "  had  I  become  mistress  of  the  wealth  of 
the  Indies.  How  could  you  imagine  such  a  thing?" 
she  asked,  looking  appealingly  at  the  kind  old  lady. 

"  I  never  did  imagine  any  such  thing,"  replied  Mrs. 
Hughes,  "  I  only  said  it  in  joke,  dear ;  I  did  not  mean 
to  annoy  you.  I  am  a  foolish  old  woman  to  have  teazed 
you,"  she  added,  seeing  Georginna  ready  to  give  way  to 
a  fresh  flood  of  tears. 

Mr.  Hughes,  seeing  that  things  were  tending  to  a 
"scene,"  as  it  is  called — a  sort  of  thing  to  which  he  had 
a  most  decided  objection,  and  which,  to  tell  the  truth,  is 
a  very  absurd  affair  to  the  lookers  on — thought  it  was 
time  to  interfere ;  so  he  said  to  his  wife,  in  a  cheerful 
tone  of  voice — 

"You  are  going  too  fast,  my  good  little  wife.  If  you 
had  only  looked  at  the  newspaper  which  I  see  on  the 
table  there,  you  would  have  learnt  that  the  ftffair,  upon 
the  success  of  which  we  had  so  set  our  hearts,  has  not 
turned  out  so  badly  as  you  seem  to  imagine.  Nay,  all 
circumstances  considered,  I  don't  know  but  we  are  better 
off  than  ever  we  were.  At  all  events,  if  we  have  not 
gained  the  good  we  were  seeking,  we  have  not  only  dis- 
tanced our  competitors,  but  thrust  them  out  of  the 
field  altogether.  It  is  now  merely  a  matter  of  patience 
and" 

"  Then  you  have  succeeded,  and  have  just  been  tell- 
ing me  fibs  to  annoy  me,"  interrupted  she,  gayly.  "  Is 
it  not  so  ?" 

"Not  exactly,  my  love ;  but  I  will  tell  you  how  mat 
ters  stand,  although,  as  I  have  said,  had  you  looked 
at  the  paper,  you  would,  ere  this,  have  seen  for  your- 
self." 

Mr.  Hughes  then  briefly  explained  to  his  wife  the 
particulars  of  the  civil  action,  and  the  technicalities  of 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.     »  309 

the  law,  which,  although  they  had  delayed  indefinitely 
the  settlement  of  the  suit,  had  still  rendered  the  ultimate 
success  of  his  clients  certain,  and  these  explanations 
being  over,  we  entered  the  breakfast-room — for  it  was 
early  morning  (we  had  travelled  on  the  railroad  all 
night),  amply  prepared,  notwithstanding  the  anxieties 
of  the  past  few  days,  to  do  justice  to  the  tempting  viands 
— the  cold  ham,  hot  beefsteaks  and  cutlets — the  fresh 
eggs  and  steaming,  fragrant  coffee,  which  had  been  pre- 
pared in  anticipation  of  our  arrival. 

The  day  was  spent  in  the  usual  listless  manner  in 
which  days  are  spent  on  the  return  home  from  a  tedious, 
wearisome,  and  anxious  journey.  We  retired  for  a  short 
time  to  our  bed-rooms,  to  recruit  our  strength  by  a  few 
hours'  sleep,  and  by  the  usual  dinner  hour,  five  o'clock, 
we  were  as  fresh  as  ever.  The  evening  passed  away 
cheerfully;  for  notwithstanding  our  adventures  were 
naturally  uppermost  in  our  thoughts,  and  Adolphus, 
with  characteristic  impulse,  was  anxious  at  once  to  fix 
on  some  plan  for  the  future,  Mr.  Hughes  would  listen 
to  nothing  of  the  sort  that  evening;  and  after  a  tune  or 
two  had  been  played  on  the  piano  by  Mrs.  Hughes,  who 
played  well,  and  as  she  still  had  a  pleasing  voice,  diver- 
sified the  entertainment  now  and  then  with  some  pretty 
Scotch  or  English  ballad,  we  forgot  our  cares,  and  even 
became  almost  uproarious  in  our  mirth — Mr.  Hughes 
declaring  that  he  was  so  happy  to  get  home  again,  and 
really  so  glad  that  things  had  turned  out  so  well,  that  he 
must  insist  upon  dancing  a  minuet  with  Mrs.  Lyman. 
"  It  was  a  good  old  dance,"  he  said,  "  that  was  quite  the 
mode  in  his  youthful  days,  but  which  had  been  banished 
by  modern  innovation,  to  make  room  for  fantastic  capers 
and  insane  ridiculous  figures."  He  insisted  that  his  wife 
should  favor  me  with  her  hand  in  going  through  the 
same  old,  courtly  dance,  and  when  we  old  folks  were 
tired  out,  we  sat  down  and  watched  Adolphus  and  Geor- 
giana  waltzing.  It  was  actually  near  midnight  when  we 
got  to  bed,  and  that  night  we  slept  soundly. 

On  the  morrow  I  took  my  departure  for  Dover,  hav- 


810  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OK, 

ing  made  up  my  mind  to  commence  my  journeying  or 
the  continent  by  visiting  Paris — a  city  1  had  for  many 
years  had  a  desire  to  see ;  and  Mrs.  Lyman  accompanied 
me,  with  Georgiana  and  Adolphus,  whom  she  wished 
should  pay  a  short  visit  to  Canterbury,  where  her  rela- 
tives, and,  as  she  believed,  some  of  their  own  also,  resided, 
and  where  Juliette  and  Robert  had  preceded  her.  They 
were  only  to  remain  away  three  weeks,  and  then  were 
to  return  to  Mr.  Hughes.  And,  to  tell  the  truth,  I 
don't  think  Adolphus  was  at  all  sorry  to  have  an  oppor 
tunity  of  seeing  his  cousin  again,  and  perhaps  if  all  the 
truth  were  told,  there  was  a  young  gentleman  at  Canter- 
bury whom  Georgiana  was  not  altogether  annoyed  at 
the  idea  of  meeting  again,  although  the  sly  puss  didn't 
say  so — nevertheless,  I  saw  it  in  her  face. 

I  left  them  at  Dover  to  pursue  the  remainder  of  their 
journey  alone,  they  having  only  a  few  miles  to  travel ; 
and  the  next  day,  having  gratified  my  curiosity  by  a 
peep  at  Dover  Castle,  and  at  the  celebrated  cannon, 
known  as  "  Queen  Anne's  pocket  pistol,"  which,  as  the 
old  adage  says  : 

If  you  sponge  it  well  and  keep  it  clean, 
Will  carry  a  ball  to  Calais  Green." 

And  having  walked  on  as  far  as  Shakspeare's  Cliff,  and 
looked  down  from  its  dizzy  height,  where  erstwhile 
"hung  those  who  gathered  samphire,  dreadful  trade," 
and  having  wondered  how  a  man  of  Shakspeare's  vera- 
city could  tell  the  world,  in  his  immortal  verse,  that  yon 
tall  anchoring  barks  in  the  channel  beneath  were  "  di- 
minished to  their  cocks — their  cocks  to  buoys,"  and  hav- 
ing held  various  conversations  with  several  of  the  coast- 
guard and  fishermen,  and  wondered  at  the  Martello 
towers,  and  had  a  peep  at  the  coast  of  France,  in  the 
distance,  barely  visible  with  the  naked  eye,  through 
the  spy-glass  of  a  sturdy  man  of-war's  man,  who  was 
watching  the  manoeuvres  of  a  little  vessel  off  the  coast, 
which  had  the  appearance  of  a  fishing  craft,  but  which 
he  inclined  to  think  had  some  smuggling  transaction 
on  hand,  I  returned  to  the  hotel  at  Dover,  partook 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  811 

of  a  hearty  supper,  and  the  next  morning  sailed  in  the 
packet  for  Boulogne  sur  mer,  and  having  landed  at  that 
semi-English  city,  I  thence  commenced  my  continental 
tour. 

In  the  meantime,  let  us  see  what  other  parties  with 
whom  the  reader  of  this  story  has  become  acquainted 
with  are  doing. 

Lady  Mary  Alton  and  Father  Ansel  mo,  as  I  have 
already  mentioned,  had  arrived  in  Huntingdon ;  and 
sincere  and  heartfelt  were  the  lamentations  of  the  for- 
mer over  the  dead  body  of  her  father — all  the  more 
painful  because  the  sorrow  was  too  deep  and  earnest  to 
allow  of  any  wild,  outward  manifestation  of  grief.  It 
was  as  much  as  the  good  Father  Anselmo  could  do  to 
afford  comfort  to  the  bereaved  lady  ;  but  earnestly  and 
conscientiously  he  sat  himself  to  the  task,  and  at  length 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  her  become  more  composed  ; 
and,  in  a  day  or  two,  the  inhabitants  of  the  little  town 
were  witnesses  of  a  funeral  pageant  surpassing  anything 
that  had  ever  been  seen  in  it  before.  The  hearse,  with 
its  four  jet  black  horses ;  the  coffin  with  its  velvet  pall, 
relieved  by  golden  ornaments  and  plates  indicating  the 
rank,  and  telling  of  the  virtues  of  the  deceased ;  the 
black,  heavy  waving  plumes ;  the  trains  of  carriages  be- 
longing to  the  neighboring  nobility  and  gentry ;  the 
solemn  mutes  and  outriders  ;  all  the  imposing  parapher- 
nalia of  woe  which  follows  the  high  and  mighty  to  the 
tomb — where,  even  as  the  poorest  and  meanest,  they 
must  become  food  for  the  worms,  which  make  no  dis- 
tinction in  favor  of  the  lofty  and  honored  of  the  earth 
when  once  they  are  consigned  to  their  final  resting-place, 
until  the  grave  shall  give  up  their  dead — all  this  was, 
in  truth,  a  sight  worth  gazing  upon,  not  only  on  ac- 
count of  its  solemn  grandeur,  but  because  of  the  moral 
that  it  told  of  the  mutability  of  all  things  earthly,  and 
the  vanity  of  human  greatness.  The  remains  of  the  earl 
were  borne  to  the  family  vault  at  Alton  Castle,  and  in  a 
few  weeks  more  a  monument  was  erected  in  a  conspicu- 
ous part  of  the  park,  on  which  was  engraved  a  fulsome 


312  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

epitaph,  telling  the  passer  by,  as  he  stopped  to  gaze 
upon  it,  of  the  talents,  and  virtues,  and  integrity  of  the 
deceased  statesman,  and  of  the  good  deeds  he  had  done 
in  the  course  of  his  long  life ;  but  there  was  not  one 
word  mentioned  of  his  misdeeds — and  why  should  there 
have  been?  Is  not  the  world  uncharitable  enough 
while  men  are  living,  to  afford  to  bury  all  uncharitable- 
ness  in  the  grave  with  the  perishing  body !  The  mercy 
of  Heaven  has  been  promised  even  at  the  eleventh  hour 
to  the  repentant — what  is  man  that  he  should  deal  forth 
judgment  on  his  fellow  man,  when  the  best  among  man- 
kind have  justly  so  much  to  dread  from  the  justice  of 
the  Creator,  were  they  not  told  that  that  justice  should 
be  tempered  with  mercy. 

The  greatest  of  England's  poets — the  immortal  bard 
of  Avon — has  said : 

"  The  evil  that  men  do  lives  after  them  ; 
The  good  is  oft  interred  with  the  bones." 

And  such  is  the  case.  Evil  is  less  evanescent  in  its  na- 
ture than  good,  in  this  world.  Every  evil  deed  com- 
mitted is  the  cause  of  further  evil  over  which  the  original 
perpetrator  has  no  control ;  but  his  direlections  from  the 
path  of  virtue  leave  an  impress  on  the  earth  which  tempts 
others  to  follow  in  his  footsteps,  and  thus  the  commission 
of  every  sin  leads  to  its  tenfold  repetition.  Then,  when 
Nature  proclaims  unsparingly  the  evil  deeds  of  man  to 
future  generations  as  a  warning  of  the  danger  of  the  first 
false  step,  let  weak  man  mourn  and  lament,  but  forbear 
to  judge,  for  after  death  cometh  his  own  judgment — that 
judgment  which  he  who  hath  gone  before  him  hath  al- 
ready met.  Let  him  turn  and  gaze  with  awe  and  rever- 
ence on  the  marble  tablet  and  monumental  stone  which 
marks  the  resting-place  of  the  perishing  body  beneath 
and  as  he  reads  to  the  end,  let  him  not  criticise,  but" 
rather  think  that  some  day,  and  perhaps  ere  long,  he  will 
occupy  the  like  small  spot  of  earth,  although  now  per- 
haps he  thinks  the  world  not  wide  enough  to  satisfy  his 
ambitious  aspirations ;  and  when  that  day  conies,  he 
would  wish,  although  then  it  will  be  of  little  consequence 


THE- ORPHAN'S  WKONGS.  313 

to  the  poor  crumbling  dust,  that  the  charity  of  the  living 
may  be  extended  to  him ;  for  no  man  would  wish  his 
memory  to  live  only  to  be  reviled  by  those  he  has  left 
behind  on  earth.  Let  him  pass  on  with  reverence,  and 
repeat  with  earnestness  and  sincerity,  the  last  line  of  the 
epitaph — "  Ifequiescat  in  Pace." 

The  funeral  pomp  and  display  is  over;  the  banner  flies 
from  the  summit  of  the  towers  of  Alton  Castle,  but  it  is 
shrouded  in  crape ;  never  more  shall  that  proud  banner 
flaunting  in  the  breeze,  proclaim  to  the  passers  by,  and 
to  the  residents  of  the  neighborhood,  that  the  proud 
Lord  of  Alton  is  at  home,  at  his  ancestral  castle.  A 
fragile  female — the  last  of  the  long  and  distinguished 
line — now  wears  the  honors  that  have  been  gained  in 
the  senate  and  on  the  battle  field  during  the  course  of 
centuries,  and  in  a  few  years  more  she  will  pass  away 
from  the  world.  The  escutcheon  of  the  noble  house,  with 
its  numerous  quarterings,  will  no  more  test  the  quaint 
skill  of  Heraldry  to  emblazon  yet  another  crest  within 
its  crowded  shield.  The  hatchment,  covered  with  tho 
insignia  of  woe,  rests  above  the  battlements  of  the  frown- 
ing castle  front,  and  tells  the  solemn  tale  of  the  death  of 
the  last  male  representative  of  a  noble  house ;  and  Lady 
Mary  is  now  Countess  of  Shropshire  and  Lady  of  Alton. 

Father  Anselrno  and  Lady  Mary  are  busy,  day  after 
day,  reading  and  signing  papers ;  there  is  mystery  stir- 
ring in  the  castle,  and  the  servants  and  dependants,  clad 
in  funeral  weeds,  as  they  step  to  and  fro,  as  though  fear- 
ing to  awaken  the  spirit  of  the  dead  from  its  long,  last 
sleep,  whisper  strange  stories  to  each  other ;  but  all  are 
at  fault;  they  may  surmise,  but  they  do  not  know  in  re- 
ality what  all  this  mystery  on  the  part  of  the  reverend 
father  and  the  lady  of  the  castle  tends  to,  but  time  will 
psclose  it  and  that  briefly. 

Messrs.  Gripes  and  Cheatem,  and  their  coadjutor,  Snap, 
hurried  away  to  London  as  soon  as  they  found  that  the. 
overthrow  of  the  verdict  was  likely  to  subvert  all  the 
effects  of  their  villany,  if  it  did  not  eventually  lead  them 
into  serious  difficulty.  The  death  of  the  earl,  however, 

14 


814  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

though  it  had  upset  their  project  just  on  the  point  of  its 
consummation,  was,  they  conceived,  rather  favorable  to 
them,  in  one  sense,  as  it  was  certainly  preferable  to 
having  had  the  suit  decided  unfavorably  from  any  other 
cause.  His  lordship  no  doubt  would  have  been  but  lit- 
tle inclined  to  come  down  handsomely  if  the  pet  scheme 
of  his  life  had  failed;  "but  now,"  thought  they,  "we 
can  make  out  our  bill  of  costs  at  what  rate  we  please, 
and  the  Countess  of  Shropshire  will  only  be  too  glad  to 
settle  her  father's  accounts  if  we  send  in  at  once.  A  few 
threats  of  exposure  will  prevent  any  disputes,  provided 
her  ladyship's  steward  should  be  inclined  to  scrutinize 
the  charge  too  closely,  and  thus  we  must  manage  to 
make  the  best  out  of  a  bad  affair." 

The  bill  was  accordingly  sent  to  the  countess,  who  had 
expressly  ordered  that  all  accounts  relating  to  the  affairs 
of  the  late  earl  should  be  presented  to  her  in  the  first 
instance,  and  then  it  was  referred  to  the  steward  for  set- 
tlement, by  the  advice  of  Father  Anselmo,  who  was,  how- 
ever, aware*  that  it  was  extortionate,  as  was  the  lady  her- 
self, but  she  knew  the  character  of  the  base  wretches  she 
had  to  deal  with,  and  in  respect  to  the  memory  of  her 
father,  whose  character  they  would  not  for  a  moment  have 
hesitated  to  villify,  had  their  scandalous  charges  been  re- 
fused, she,  with  Father  Anselmo,  thought  it  advisable  to 
get  quit  of  the  harpies  at  any  cost,  as  soon  as  possible. 
These  gentlemen  received  the  money,  Gripes  of  course 
taking  the  lion's  share  of  the  spoils,  and  the  only  thing 
that  troubled  them  was,  that  since  they  had  been  paid  so 
promptly,  they  had  not  made  the  overcharge  even  double 
what  it  was. 

The  two  young  persons  who  had  personified  the  Fitz- 
herberts,  also  returned  to  London  with  the  late  earl's 
legal  advisers. 

They  had  for  some  months,  indeed  since  they  had  been 
introduced  to  Gripes  and  Cheatem  by  Mr.  Harley,  the 
earl's  agent  in  the  United  States,  been  depending  for 
support  upon  a  liberal  weekly  stipend  from  Lord  Alton, 
which  had  been  paid  by  Gripes ;  this  now  failed  them, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  315 

and  the  young  man  made  application  to  the  lawyer  for 
assistance  and  advice  as  regarded  the  future  action  of 
himself  and  his  sister.  Gripes  refused  to  see  him  for 
some  time,  but  at  length  the  young  man  sent  him  a 
brief  epistle,  in  which  he  said  that  he  was  aware  that  he 
and  his  sister  had  been  made  use  of  merely  as  tools  in 
the  hands  of  designing  knaves,  and  that  he  had  nothing  to 
lose,  but  everything  to  gain  by  making  a  public  exposure 
of  the  whole  transaction ;  this  it  was  his  intention  to 
do,  unless  it  were  made  worth  his  while  to  hold  his 
tongue,  and  he  concluded  by  informing  the  lawyer  that 
he  gave  him  only  until  the  following  day  to  decide. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  Gripes  immediately 
sent  for  Cheatem,  and  a  consultation  was  held  between 
them  as  to  the  best  method  of  quieting  the  refractory 
youth. 

"  You  perceive,  Cheatem,"  said  Gripes,  afier  having 
read  the  note  to  him,  "you  perceive  we  shall  be  com- 
pelled to  do  something  for  the  infernal  scoundrel,  for  ho 
has  it  in  his  power  to  do  us  great  injury.  Suppose,  now, 
you  take  him  into  your  office  to  assist  W  ilk  ins,  and 
give  him  a  guinea  a  week  for  the  present.  I  will  be  at 
half  the  expense,  and  then  you  can  manage  to  involve 
him  in  some  way  so  as  to  get  him  under  your  thumb. 
In  that  case  you  know  you  can  at  once  discard  him,  or 
perhaps  it  would  be  as  well  to  get  him  into  some  scrape 
which  will  render  him  eligible  for  a  free  passage  to  the 
penal  colonies.  It's  the  only  way  1  can  think  of  at  pre- 
sent to  keep  the  fellow  quiet." 

"And  what's  to  become  of  the  girl?"  asked  Cheatern, 
who,  by  no  means,  relished  the  idea  of  paying  a  guinea 
a  week  out  of  his  own  pocket,  for  he  had  little  faith  in 
the  promises  of  Gripes  to  be  at  half  the  expense,  but  who 
still  perceived  the  necessity  of  doing  something  to  keep 
the  youth  in  good  temper  just  then,  while  the  trial  of 
the  civil  action  at  the  Huntingdon  assizes  was  still  fresh 
in  the  minds  of  newspaper  readers. 

''  Ah,  the  girl !  yes,"  replied  Gripes,  "  it's  a  confound 
ed  nuisance,  and  one  that  we  must  seize  the  first  oppor 


316  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

tunity  of  getting  quit  of;  but  at  present  there  is  no  re- 
medy. Suppose,  Cheatem,  you  take  the  girl  in  as  a 
kind  of  governess  and  companion  to  Miss  Cheatem,  until 
we  can  think  of  something  better.  Of  course  you  will 
have  to  pay  her  a  small  salary,  but  then  you  will  have 
the  benefit  of  ber  services  in  the  family." 

"  What !"  exclaimed  Cheatem,  irritated  beyond  en- 
durance at  the  cool  impudence  of  Gripes.  "  Mr.  Gripes, 
if  you  and  and  I  are  scoundrels,  it  is  no  reason  why  I 
should  train  my  daughter  to  evil.  No,  sir ;  the  girl 
who  could  bear  a  part  in  the  game  of  deceit  we  have 
lately  been  playing,  is  no  eligible  companion  for  my 
daughter." 

"  Ha,  ha !"  laughed  Gripes — "  Cheatem  preaching 
family  morality  !  Well,  well,  this  is  too  amusing. — 
However,"  he  continued,  remembering  that  it  would  not 
do  to  affront  his  coadjutor  just  then,  "  I  was  only  joking, 
Cheatem — only  joking,  upon  my  honor.  We  must  take 
cheap  lodgings  ibr  the  precious  pair,  I  suppose,  and  then 
put  our  wits  to  work,  so  that  they  may  not  trouble  us 
longer  than  is  absolutely  necessary." 

This  was  decided  upon,  and  for  the  present  time  that 
fresh  difficulty  was  got  rid  of. 

Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert  was  placed  in  rather  an  awk- 
ward position  by  the  death  of  the  Earl  of  Shropshire  and 
the  overthrow  of  the  verdict  of  the  jury  in  the  late  civil 
action  at  law.  He  was,  as  I  have  already  informed  the 
reader,  deeply,  irrecoverably  involved  in  debt,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  the  unlucky  reverse  of  his  expecta- 
tions carne  to  the  ears  of  old  Jacob,  the  Jew  money- 
lender, and  the  very  next  day  his  lordship  received  a 
note,  very  politely  worded,  enclosing  a  list  of  the  obli- 
gations he  owed  to  the  usurer,  (amounting  to  several 
thousands  of  pounds,)  pressing,  though  in  the  most  civil 
— even  polite  manner — for  immediate  payment.  Of 
course  this  was  utterly  out  of  the  question,  and  Lord 
Henry  wrote  a  hurried  reply,  stating  his  inability  to 
meet  the  demands  immediately,  but  promising  to  make 
arrangements  to  settle  up  as  soon  as  possible.  The  next 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  317 

morning,  just  after  he  had  breakfasted,  and  was  list- 
lessly lounging  on  the  sofa  in  his  sitting  room,  ponder- 
ing on  the  best  method  of  raising  a  supply  of  funds  to 
meet  the  more  immediate  demands  upon  him,  Anderson, 
his  lordship's  valet,  entered  the  room  and  told  his  mas- 
ter that  there  was  an  ill- looking,  shabbily  dressed  man, 
with  a  hooked  nose,  and  a  long  beard,  below,  who  in- 
sist^d  upon  seeing  him  immediately. 

"  Jt  is  that  infernal  scoundrel  Jacob,"  said  his  lord- 
ship. "  Why  the  d — 1,  sirrah,  did  you  not  say  I  was 
not  at  home — gone  in  the  country — gone  to  Paris — 
anywhere  or  any  place  that  came  into  your  head,  so  as 
to  get  the  fellow  out  of  the  way  ?" 

"I  did  say  that  you  were  not  at  home,  may  it  please 
you,  my  lord,"  replied  Anderson,  "  but  the  man  said  he 
would  walk  up  stairs  and  wait  till  you  came  home.  I 
said  it  would  be  quite  uncertain  when  you  would  return, 
and  that  no  one  could  be  admitted  into  your  lordship's 
apartments  during  your  absence;  to  which  he  replied, 
my  lord,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  that  he  would 
sit  down  on  the  steps  and  wait  your  lordship's  arrival, 
if  you  did  not  corne  till  night.  I  let  him  sit  down 
for  some  time,  but  his  strange  appearance  attracted  the 
attention  of  every  gentleman  who  passed  by  him,  as  he 
asked  them  if  they  had  s'een  Lord  Fitzherbert,  or  if 
they  knew  where  he  was  to  be  found,  and  he  became 
quite  annoying.  At  length,  my  lord,  he  turned  to  me, 
and  with  a  cunning  leer,  asked  if  I  had  not  better  go 
up  stairs  and  see  whether  your  lordship  had  not  corne 
down  the  chimney  while  he  had  been  waiting " 

"You  scoundrel,"  exclaimed  Lord  Henry,  "what  do 
you  mean  by  repeating  such  impertinence  to  me.  Be 
off,  sir,  and " 

What  his  lordship  was  about  to  add  was  cut  short 
by  the  appearance  of  Jacob  at  the  door  of  the  apartment, 
and  pushing  by  the  valet,  who  endeavored  to  stop  him 
from  entering,  he  said  : 

"  Veil,  now,  I  thought  his  lordship  vash  at  home  all 
de  while.  I  see  it  vash  a  small  trifle  of  a  mistake  you 


318  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;    OR, 

vash  make.     I  am  glad  to  shee  your  lordship ;  I  have 
called  about  de  leetle  monish  your  lordship  ish    owe 

"  Leave  the  room,  Anderson,"  said  Lord  Fitzherbert. 
"  Take  a  seat,  Jacob.  Did  you  get  my  note  yesterday?" 

"Yesh,"  replied  the  moneylender;  "  I  got  denote, 
my  lord  ;  but  it  ish  de  bank  notes  I  vantsh ;  de  ad- 
vanshed  monish.  Does  your  lordship  understand  ?" 

"  I  believe  I  mentioned  in  the  note,  Jacob,  that  I 
should,  as  soon  as  possible,  take  measures  to  satisfy  your 
demands ;  at  present  it  is  not  exactly  convenient,  but 
you  may  rely  upon  having  your  money." 

''  Yesh,  my  lord ;  ven  your  lordship  marries  the 
Countess  of  Shropshire,  and  succeeds  to  the  joint  estates 
of  Alton  and  Brampton  Manor  ;  but  ash  dat  happy  clay 
is  likely  to  be  postponed  until  de  day  of  judgment,  ven 
dere  will  be  a  final  reckoning,  I  should  like  to  have  my 
little  account  shettled  first.  So,  my  lord,  pleashto  name 
de  day  ven  I  shall  have  my  monish." 

"  1  have  told  you,"  said  his  lordship,  somewhat  fiercely, 
"  that  at  present  I  have  no  means  of  immediate  payment, 
but  I  pledge  my  honor  you  shall  be  paid  to  the  utter- 
most farthing.  Is  not  that  sufficient  ?" 

"Excuse  me,  my  lord,"  said  the  money-lender;  "but 
I  should  hope,  in  such  a  case,  your  lordship's  honor 
would  be  more  wort  dan  de  securitish  your  lordship 
gave  me;  if  not,  it  is  \\ort  but  little." 

"Do  you  dare  insult  a  gentleman  in  his  own  apart- 
ments, sir  ?"  exclaimed  Lord  Henry. 

"  I  vant  my  monish,  and  my  monish  I  must  have," 
replied  the  Jew. 

"  And  at  present,  I  again  say,  I  cannot  find  it  conve- 
nient to  pay  you,"  returned  his  lordship. 

"Then,  my  lord,"  said  Jacob,  rising  from  his  seat 
and  advancing  a  step  or  two ;  "  then,  your  lordship  ish 
a  sheat — a  villanous  sheat,  and  I  shall  take  my  re- 
venge— I  shall  arrest  your  lordship  for  my  monish,  my 
goot  monish  you  have  sheat  me  of.  Your  lordship's 
honor  1  Bah  ! — a  Christian's  lion-!  " — I  spit  upon  it," 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  319 

he  added,  spitting  upon  the  floor,  and  stamping  his 
foot ;  "  I  spit  and  stamp  upon  it.  You  have  sheat  me — 
have  rob  me,  and,  by  the  God  of  my  fathers,  I  will  have 
my  revenge !" 

He  was  about  to  leave  the  room,  when  Lord  Fitzher- 
bert  called  him  back. 

"  I  have  been  too  much  excited,  Jacob,"  lie  said,  en- 
deavoring to  assume  an  appearance  of  composure. 
Let  us  talk  together ;  it  is  not  my  intention  to  deceive 
you." 

"  You  have  desheaved  me  all  along,"  replied  Jacob. 
"  De  securitish  I  advanshed  you  de  monish  upon,  vash 
no  securitish  at  all.  You  have  robbed  me  and  I  will 
have  my  revenge." 

"But  you  are  aware  that  your  claims  are  usurious  in 
their  nature,  and  would  not  be  legally  acknowledged," 
replied  Lord  Fitzherbert. 

"  Ah  !"  exclaimed  the  Jew ;  "  so  dat  ish  your  lord- 
ship's honor — your  lordship  is  very  honest  and  honor- 
able, here  ish  another  proof;  but  will  your  lordship  be 
able  to  bear  de  exposure  I  shall  make  ;  de  contempt  of 
de  vorld — of  de  Christian  as  well  as  de  Jew  ?  or  are 
you  so  worthless  as  to  care  not  even  for  that  disgrace  ? 
But,  suppose,  my  lord — my  goot,  honorable  lord — sup- 
pose I  charge  only  de  monish  I  have  advanshed,  which 
I  have  your  written  receipt  for,  with  what  your  lordship 
calls  de  legal  interest.  Ish  your  honorable  lordship  ready 
to  pay  that  to  the  poor  Jew  rather  than  go  to  jail — eh, 
my  lord  ?" 

Lord  Henry  was  completely  at  the  money-lender's 
mercy,  and  he  knew  it  well.  His  only  hope  of  safety 
lay  in  staving  off,  for  the  future,  the  evils  that  beset  him, 
and  he  felt  that  to  anger  the  Jew  would  only  be  to  has- 
ten the  day  of  his  ruin  and  exposure  to  the  world.  A 
lucky  thought  seized  him. 

"Jacob,"  he  said,  "listen.  I  tell  you  honestly,  I  have 
no  immediate  means  of  paying  you  the  money  I  owe 
you,  and  were  you  to  fulfil  your  threats  of  arrest,  of 
what  avail  would  it  be  to  you  ?  You  would  obtain  re- 


320  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;    OR, 

venge,  but  you  would  lose  your  money  for  ever.  With 
respect  to  the  securities  you  so  strenuously  harp  upon, 
I  was  deceived  as  well  as  you.  The  wealth  I  hoped  to 
gain  from  the  Brampton  Manor  estates  is  lost  to  me  ; 
but  it  is  by  no  mean;;  certain  that  equal  good  fortune 
does  not  await  me.  Lady  Mary  Alton,  who  is  all  but 
my  affianced  wife,  is  the  possessor  of  the  Alton  Castlo 
property,  which  is  fully  equal  to  that  of  Brampton 
Manor  ;  that  may  in  a  short  time  be  mine.  When  Lady 
Mary  is  my  wife,  I  will  pay  my  debts  to  the  uttermost 
farthing." 

"  Are  you  going  to  marry  Lady  Mary  ?"  enquired 
the  Jew.  "  Is  this  true — or  are  you  seeking  tosheat  me 
again,  my  lord  ?" 

"  The  death  of  the  earl  may  have  retarded  the  mar- 
ringe,  but  it  is  by  no  means  necessary  that  that  unfortu- 
nate event  should  break  off  the  engagement,"  was  the 
calm  reply. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  the  Jew,  "  I  will  wait  yet  a  little 
while  longer  for  my  monish  ;  but  when  your  lordship 
ish  married,  I  shall  demand  every  farthing,  interesht  and 
all ;  and  if  your  lordship  does  not  marry  Lady  Mary,  and 
does  not  pay  me  my  monish  before  this  day  six  months 
— then,  my  lord,  the  Jew  will  have  his  revenge.  My 
lord,  I  wish  you  good  day!"  and  the  money-lender  hav- 
ing uttered  these  words,  left  the  room. 

Lord  Fitzherbert  sat  for  some  moments  on  the  sofa, 
absorbed  in  thought. 

"Egad!"  he  said  at  length,  "the  idea  is  a  good  one; 
why  not  marry  the  Countess  of  Shropshire?  I  am  a 
good  looking  fellow  enough  (stroking  his  moustache 
and  viewing  himself  in  the  mirror  opposite  to  him), 
why  should  she  refuse  me?  It  is  true  1  have  never 
shown  myself  a  very  ardent  suitor  ;  but  it  is  never  too 
late  to  begin.  '  Faint  heart  never  won  fair  lady.'  Egad  ! 
Jew,  you  put  a  lucky  idea  into  my  head,  and  I  will 
follow  it  up.  I  will  start  for  Shrewsbury  to  morrow, 
and  call  at  Alton  Castle  to  congratulate  Lady  Mary. 
Pooh!  That's  not  the  word.  What  is  it?  Ah!  to 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  321 

express  my  sympathy  for  the  loss  the  heiress  has  sus- 
tained. Capital  idea  !  It  will  seem  so  feeling  and  affec- 
tionate. By-the-bye,  Stultz  must  furnish  me  with  a  full 
suit  of  mourning  for  the  interesting  occasion.  Of 
course,  I  have  gone  into  mourning  in  respect  to  the 
memory  of  the  late  lamented  earl ;  my  best  and  dearest 
friend,  &c.,  &c. ;  ahem  !  That'll  be  the  thing,  decidedly ; 
and  then,  if  she  won't  marry  me,  after  all — why,  I  must 
come  down  upon  her  feelings ;  borrow  some  money  of 
her,  and  get  quit  of  this  millstone  of  debt  about  my 
neck.  I  will  call  Anderson,  and  make  the  necessary 

E reparations  for  starting  at  the  earliest  moment,"  and 
is  lordship  summoned  his  valet,  and  in  a  few  moments 
was  engaged  with  him  in  an  interesting  and  animated 
conversation.  Poor  Lord  Henry !  there  are  many  in  the 
world  as  vain,  as  void  of  honor,  and  as  mean  and  con- 
temptible as-you;  but  surely  your  education,  your  rank 
and  position  in  society,  should  have  taught  you  that  the 
honor  you  so  often  talk  of,  means  something  more  than 
mere  empty  words. 

Georgiana  and  Adolphus  Fitzherbert  remained  three 
weeks  at  Canterbury,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time 
came  back  to  Clapham,  accompanied  by  their  cousin  Ro- 
bert, who  was  going  to  read  law  at  the  rooms  of  an 
eminent  barrister,  with  _the  object  of  eventually  being 
called  to  the  bar  himself.  The  gentleman  under  whom 
he  was  about  to  study,  was  a  personal  and  particular 
friend  of  Mr.  Hughes,'  and  thus  the  young  people  were 
likely  to  be  often  in  each  other's  society. 


822  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

1'rivate  conversation  between  a  brother  and  sister  on  matters 
of  an  interesting  and  delicate  nature. 

A  FEW  days  after  their  return  from  Canterbury,  Adol- 
phus, as  he  rose  from  the  breakfast-table,  whispered  his 
sister  to  follow  him  into  a  private  apartment,  as  he 
wished  to  speak  with  her  alone.  She  did  so,  and  he 
then  told  her  that  he  wished  to  ask  her  advice  as  to  his 
choice  of  some  professional  occupation,  which  should 
enable  him  to  support  her  and  himself,  and  eventually  to 
repay  the  kindness  of  his  friends.  The  brother  and  sis- 
ter had  been  for  some  time  engaged  in  conversation  re- 
garding their  more  immediate  prospects.  Georgiana 
seated  by  the  fire-place  in  the  dining-room  and  Adolphus 
standing  opposite  to  her,  his  elbow  resting  on  the  man- 
tel-piece. He  had  thus  stood  for  some  minutes  absorbed 
in  thought.  At  length  he  again  spoke  to  his  sister  who 
was  anxiously  gazing  at  him. 

"  Then  I  shall  make  up  my  mind  at  once,  Georgiana, 
and  accept  Mr.  Hughes'  kind  offer.  He  only  thus  adds 
one  more  to  the  many  obligations  I  have  received  from 
him,  and  if  I  live  to  repay  one,  why  I  must  repay  them 
altogether;  yet  the  law  is  not  a  study  I  should  choose, 
nor  the  legal  profession  the  one  I  should  really  prefer." 

"  Then  why  study  it,  dear  Adolphus,  if  as  you  say, 
Mr.  Hughes  has  so  kindly  offered  you  your  choice  of 
others  more  agreeable  to  you?" 

"  Because,  in  making  those  offers,  Georgiana,  he  has 
also  given  me  such  advice  as  he  conceives  I  require ; 
and  1  consider  that  his  experience  renders  his  advice 
valuable.  He  is  confident  that  we  shall  eventually  come 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  323 

into  the  property  that  should  rightfully  have  been  in- 
herited by  our  father,  and  therefore  bid  me  choose  with- 
out regard  to  the  expenses  which  would  attend  my  first 
outset  in  any  profession.  I  have  thought  of  them  all. 
I  am  too  old  to  enter  the  navy  now,  though  I  fancy  that 
I  should  like  the  excitement  that  attends  a  sailor's  life ; 
and  then  again,  even  were  I  not  too  old,  promotion  in 
the  service  is  so  proverbially  slow,  unless  the  aspirant 
possesses  Admiralty  interest,  that  I  should  never,  I  fear, 
be  in  a  position  to  support  myself  and  you  as  I  should 
wish  to  do,  and  to  repay  the  many  kindnesses  of  my 
friends,  supposing  that  long  years,  perhaps  a  life-time 
were  to  elapse  before  the  suit  is  decided  in  Chancery. 
The  army  is  liable  to  similar  objections  ;  besides,  I  don't 
much  fancy  a  military  life;  and  then  with  regard  to 
both  these  professions,  I  cannot  forget  though  my  pa- 
rents were  English,  that  I  am  an  American  by  birth, 
and  though  I  trust  the  two  countries,  England  and 
America,  will  never  again  meet,  except  it  be  in  friendly 
rivalry,  I  could  not  fancy  entering  into  a  foreign  ser- 
vice and  subjecting  myself  to  the  necessity,  in  case  of 
war,  of  drawing  my  sword  against  my  own  countrymen. 
Mr.  Hughes  suggested  the  Church :  but  for  that  sacred 
profession,  I  feel  that  I  am  wholly  unfitted,  and  I  consider 
it  wrong,  decidedly  wrong,  for  any  one  to  enter  it  without 
he  feels  a  positive  predilection  for  its'  holy  duties.  '  Phy- 
sic,' suggested  Mr.  Hughes.  "Well,  the  medical  profes- 
sion is  a  very  respectable  one,  but  somehow  or  other,  I 
have  a  natural  repugnance  to  doctor's  drugs,  and  a  hor- 
ror of  the  idea  of  walking  the  hospitals,  and  submitting 
myself  to  the  more  disgusting  duties  of  an  aspirant  for 
medical  honors,  so  I  take  Shakspeare's  advice  and  '  throw 
physic  to  the  dogs — I'll  none  of  it.'  " 

'It  appears  to  me,  Adolphus,"  said  Georgiana, 
laughingly,  "that  you  are  very  particular  in  your  choice. 
You  say  the  law  is  not  the  profession  you  would  choose 
of  your  own  free  will,  and  yet  you  reject  ^all  the 
others." 

''Nay,  not  so  fast,  my  dear  sister,"  returned  Adol 


324  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

phus ;  "  you  know  I  always  had  a  fancy  for  drawing 
ever  since  I  was  old  enough  to  scratch  a  slate  with  a 
pencil,  and  also  that  I  have  had  an  idea  that  I  am  pos- 
sessed of  the  peculiar  talent  which  would  enable  me 
eventually  to  excel  in  literature.  'I  therefore  in  the  first 
place  told  Mr.  Hughes,  I  should  like  to  enter  upon  such 
a  course  of  study  as  would  fit  me  for  the  artistic  profes- 
sion ;  and,  secondly,  that  I  should  like  to  devote  myself 
to  literature.  He  threw  cold  water  on  both  these  aspira- 
tions. He  said  it  was  pleasant  to  gather  the  flowers ;  but, 
as  in  plucking  the  rose,  few  can  avoid  the  thorns  that 
lie  hidden  beneath.  As  an  artist,  he  said  mediocrity  was 
unendurable.  It  might  be  easily  reached ;  but  it  re- 
flected no  honor  and  no  profit  upon  its  possessor.  It 
placed  him  in  an  equivocal  position  in  society  ;  in  his 
own  opinion,  exalted  above  the  common  herd — yet,  in. 
the  opinion  of  the  upper  classes,  and  even  of  the  recog- 
nized professions,  placing  him  far  below  themselves — 
and  little  above  even  those  whom  the  artist  looked  down 
upon.  By  a  successful  artist,  he  said,  wealth  and  honor, 
and  fame,  all  that  man  can  hope  for,  may  be  obtained  ; 
but  they  must  be  the  result  of  years  of  apparently  unre- 
quited toil.  Then,  as  regards  the  profession  of  litera- 
ture ;  he  painted  it  in  still  more  gloomy  colors.  To  the 
successful,  it  certainly,  said  he,  offers  honor  and  emolu- 
ment as  great,  and  promise  of  future  fame  greater,  than 
is  offered  by  any  other  profession ;  but,  how  few  are  the 
successful — how  hard  the  struggle,  even  to  the  most 
gifted,  to  reach  the  goal  of  their  ambition :  how  many 
fancy  themselves  possessed  of  the  requisite  talent,  who 
utterly  fail:  how  many  really  possessed  of  it,  are  crushed 
by  the  severe  mental  toil  that  must  be  the  portion  even 
of  the  highest  order  of  genius,  if  it  would  secure  success. 
The  profession  is  filled,  he  continued,  with  idlers  who 
fancy  they  possess  talent,  and  imagine  the  life  of  a  li- 
terary man  to  be  one  of  ease  and  comparative  indolence; 
these  are  invariably  disappointed,  and  they  sink  into  the 
degradations  of  vice  and  intemperance,  and  bring  dis- 
grace upon  the  profession  upon  which,  in  reality,  they 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WKONGS.  325 

have  no  claim ;  but  are  only  empty  pretenders,  to  that 
of  which  they  are  as  ignorant  of,  as  is  the  poorest  laborer, 
for  they  are  often  men  who  are  without  even  common 
education.  I  do  not  deny  that  among  men  of  letters, 
there  is  many  an  one  who  is  an  ornament  to  society — • 
who  is  sought  for  and  flattered  by  the  highest — whose 
position  might  well  create  a  feeling  of  ambition  in  the 
breast  of  the  aspirant  to  literary  honors ;  but  these  men 
have  worked  hard  to  reach  the  eminence  on  which  they 
stand — they  have  distanced  their  competitors,  some  of 
whom  were,  perhaps,  equally  gifted,  mentally,  as  them- 
selves, but  of  feebler  physical  frame,  and  consequently 
less  capable  of  physical  as  well  as  mental  endurance. 
It  is  a  pleasing  occupation,  I  will  allow,  to  those  whose 
tastes  are  adapted  to  it  and  who  practice  it  for  amuse- 
ment as  well  as  profit.  As  Sir  Walter  Scott  has  hap- 
pily observed,  '  Literature  is  a  good  staff,  but  a  sorry 
crutch.'  Be  careful  then,  Adolphus,"  continued  Mr. 
Hughes  to  me,  "  how  you  give  up  your  mind  to  the 
illusions  of  a  literary  or  artistic  career,  unless  you  feel 
that  secret  impulse  within  you,  even  now,  after  all  that 
I  have  said,  which  whispers  success,  and  promises  to 
buoy  you  up  under  every  difficulty;  and  recollect, 
too,  that  of  all  persons  in  the  world,  men  of  these 
professions,  who  really  are  what  they  profess  to  be, 
are  more  keenly  alive  to  neglect  and  contumely  than 
most  other  men,  and  yet,  from  the  very  nature  of  their 
profession,  perhaps,  more  than  any  others,  liable  to  be 
subjected  to  both.  I  have  expressed  my  opinions  freely, 
because  I  sincerely  wish  you  well.  Think  well  of  what 
I  have  said."  "  Well,"  continued  Adolphus,  "  I  thanked 
my  kind  friend  and  mentor,  and  did  think,  all  things  con- 
sidered, I  had  better  embrace  his  offer  to  fit  me  for  his 
own  profession  ;  and  therefore  Georgy,  to-morrow  morn- 
ing will  witness  my  commencement  of  the  study  of 
4  Coke  upon  Littleton,'  and  '  Blackstone's  Commentaries/ 
and  I  don't  know  how  many  more  works  of  a  similar  de- 
lightfully refreshing  description.  Enough  of  this,  however 


326  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

— now  sister,  mine,  I  have  something  else  to  say  to  you 
You  received  a  letter  from  town  this  morning  ?" 

"I  did,"  replied  Georgiana. 

"  Good.     It  was  from  Robert  Stanton  ?" 

"It  was,"  said  Georgiana  hesitatingly,  and  blushing 
just  the  least  thing  in  the  world. 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  read  it  ?" 

"  Well,  to  be  sure !"  exclaimed  Georgiana,  half  mock- 
ingly, half  petulantly,  "  what  will  you  ask  me  next. 
Shall  I  show  you  the  reply  I  intend  to  make,  my  most 
modest  brother  ?" 

"  I  wish  you  would,  Georgiana.  To  tell  you  the  truth, 
considering  me  your  only  guardian,  Robert  Stanton  held 
some  conversation  with  me  a  few  evenings  since,  of  which 
you,  dear  Georgy,  were  the  interesting  subject.  I  partially 
guess  what  the  letter  is  about ;  but  seriously,  I  should 
like  to  know  what  your  reply  will  be." 

"  Of  that  you  must  for  the  present  remain  ignorant 
then,"  replied  Georgiana. 

"Georgiana."  said  her  brother,  "  there  should  be  no 
secrets  between  us,  especially  in  our  present  circum- 
stances. I  do  not  ask  you  to  let  me  see  your  reply 
against  your  will ;  but  I  acknowledge  freely  I  wish  at 
least  to  know  its  purport.  Not  to  deceive  you  Georgi- 
ana, Robert,  I  am  well  aware,  has  been  smitten  with 
your  charms,  ever  since  the  day  you  emerged,  like  a 
second  Heloise,  from  your  cell  in  the  Convent  of  St.  Eu- 
phemia.  ' /  frutti  prohibiti,  i  pia  dolci'  as  our  cicerone 
used  to  say  in  Italy,  and  almost  in  the  light  of  '  I  frutti 
prohibiti,1  has  Robert  considered  you,  coining  fresh  into 
the  world  from  that  saintly  yet  drear  abode.  He  told 
me  that  he  intended  to  make  you  an  offer  of  his  hand, 
and  asked  my  influence  as  regarded  your  favoring  his 
suit.  I  told  him  I  thought  that  at  present  it  was  inad- 
visable, for  he  was  dependent  upon  his  own  exertions, 
aided  by  the  kind  assistance  of  a  distant  relative,  for  the 
means  of  attaining  a  position  in  which  he  could  support 
a  wife  in  comfort.  I  had  no  personal  objection  to  him, 
I  said,  and  I  spoke  truly,  for  I  esteem  Robert  greatly, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  327 

and  I  esteemed  him  the  more  when  he  said  he  had  re 
frained  from  telling  his  tale  of  love  hitherto  lest  it 
might  be  thought  it  was  the  heiress  Fitzherbert  he  was 
seeking  to  win,  '  and  not  m}^  pretty  sister  Georgiana  for 
her  own  modest  worth,' "  added  Adolphus,  fondly  pat- 
ting his  sister's  shoulder.  "  I  advised  him,  therefore,  to 
wait  for  a  year  or  two  at  least,  until  he  saw  into  his 
future  prospects  more  clearly,  before  he  made  any*  formal 
declaration ;  but  he  was  not  to  be  convinced — he  said  he 
should  act  in  this  matter  as  he  thought  fit,  and  should 
abide  by  your  reply.  I  told  him  that  in  this  mattei,  I 
should  certainly  advise  but  not  attempt  to  coerce  my 
sister's  affections,  and  I  should  caution  you  not  to  pledge 
yourself  to  a  sacred  and  irrevocable  vow  too  hastily. 
However,  I  added,  that  your  will,  in  this  regard,  shall  be 
my  law,  and  so  far  as  I  was  concerned,  I  would,  however 
reluctantly,  give  my  consent.  Now,  Georgiana,  I  have 
told  you  the  reasons  of  my  apparently  imprudent  request." 

For  a  few  moments  Georgiana  sat  silent,  and  then 
rising  from  her  seat  and  kissing  her  brother,  she  said  : 

"  Yes,  Adolphus,  you  are  the  only  natural  guardian  and 
protector  I  have  ever  known,  and  1  feel  it  would  be  wrong 
to  take  any  important  step  without  your  knowledge  and 
acquiescence.  However,  in  this  respect  you  have  only 
anticipated  my  answer,  for  I  have  written  in  reply  to 
Robert's  somewhat  sudden  and  unexpected  offer  of  his 
hand  and  heart,  (as  she  spoke  she  blushed  deeply,)  and 
have  made  use  of  the  very  language  you  have  uttered. 
You  can  read  both  letters  if  you  will,  Adolphus,  (put- 
ting them  into  his  hand.)  I  will  confess  I  am  partial  to 
Robert ;  but,  I  think,  under  our  present  circumstances, 
we  are  both  young  and  ought  both  to  wait.  And  now" 
she  archly  continued,  "  my  dear  brother  Adolphus,  since 
I  have  satisfied  you,  and  have  come  fully  up  to  your 
ideas  of  propriety  on  this  important  subject,  do  you 
know  that  1  too  think  there  ought  to  be  no  secrets  be- 
tween brother  and  sister,  situated  as  we  are,  alone,  and 
all  in  all  to  each  other  in  the  world.  You  have  acted 
father  confessor  to  me  t<5  your  heart's  content — now,  sir, 


828  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OB, 

please  to  be  equally  truthful  as  I  have  been,  and  say  how 
stands  your  heart  affected  towards  a  certain  young  lady, 
named  Juliet  Hawthorne.  I  hope  there  is  no  offer  01 
premature  marriage  on  the  part  of  the  young  lady,  which 
my  most  conscientious  and  calculating  brother  has  con- 
sidered it  proper  for  the  present  to  decline.  Let  me  see 
— yes,  this  is  leap-year,  and  the  offer  on  the  part  of  the 
young  lady  would  be  quite  correct.  I  wait  your  reply, 
sir." 

"  Well,"  said  Adolphus,  smiling  at  the  clever  manner 
in  which  his  sister  had  managed  to  turn  the  tables  upon 
him,  "  I  will  confess  honestly,  and  so  act  according  to  my 
teaching.  Miss  Juliet  Hawthorne  is  a  very  lovely  and 
a  very  amiable  girl,  and  her  gentleness  and  sprightliness 
and  beauty  have  made  considerable  havoc  with  the  heart 
of  your  brother  Adolphus.  Had  the  verdict  in  the  late 
suit  given  to  us  our  father's  inheritance,  I  should  ere  this 
have  made  an  offer  of  my  hand  to  the  fair  Juliet.  She 
has  wealth  in  America,  if  not  so  great  as  that  which 
would  have  been,  and  perhaps  some  day  will  yet  be 
mine,  at  least  sufficient  for  all  the  wants  and  comforts, 
even  the  luxuries  of  life,  and  I  could  not  then  have  been 
considered  as  a  fortune  hunter ;  but  now  I  will  not  marry 
until  I  have  achieved  at  least  a  fair  prospect  of  eventual 
success  in  my  profession,  or  unless  some  happy  turn  in 
Fortune's  scale  should  decide  the  balance  in  my  favor 
sooner  than  I  expect ;  for  I  will  not  listen  to  the  roman- 
tic generosity  of  Juliet  in  asserting  that  the  estate  in 
Virginia  belongs  of  right  to  me,  because  it  was  confiscated 
from  my  father.  It  was  subsequently  purchased  by  her 
father,  and  it  is  rightfully  and  legally  her  own.  Never- 
theless, I  have  pledged  my  faith  to  Juliet,  and  vowed 
not  to  wed  another,  but  have  left  her  free  to  the  dictates 
of  her  future  fancy.  Is  not  that  generosity,  my  fair 
sister?" 

"Perfectly  romantic,  I  declare,"  replied  Georgiana; 
"but  I  presume,"  she  continued,  "you  feel  pretty  sure 
of  the  constancy  of  the  lady,  when  you  thus  leave  her 
free  as  air  to  love  as  she  lists.  *Recollect,  Adolphus !  re- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  32$ 

collect!  there  is  a  beau  in  Virginia  that  you  have  heard 
Juliet  and  Mrs.  Lyman  speak  of.  Beware  of  him,  not- 
withstanding that  Juliet  laughs  at  him  when  her  aunt's 
back  is  turned.  Love  is  a  capricious  God,  brother  of 
inine,  and  the  tide  of  affection  may  set  against  you." 

"  You  are  judging  of  woman's  faith  through  your  own 
intuitive  knowledge  of  the  fickleness  of  the  sex,  I  pre- 
sume," said  Adolphus,  smilingly.  "  Well,  I  will  tell  you 
the  truth  ;  I  think  Juliet  is  an  exception,  and  am  wil- 
ling to  trust  to  her  words,  without  binding  her  by  pro- 
mises she  may  wish  to  break.  So,  you  see,  I  have  not 
made  so  great  a  sacrifice  to  magnanimity  of  soul  after  all, 
at  least  according  to  my  own  belief!  but  then,  men  are 
so  confiding — and  women  so  deceiving." 

"  Reverse  that  sentiment  and  it  will  be  a  true  one," 
said  Georgiana. 

"  No,  I  shall  adhere  to  it,  if  only  for  the  sake  of  its 
being  an  original  one,"  replied  Adolphus,  "and  now, 
Georgy — we  have  been  so  long  closeted  together  that 
Mrs.  Hughes  will  wonder  what  has  become  of  us.  I 
wonder  she  has  not  broken  in  upon  our  tete  a  tele  ere 
this.  I  promised  to  accompany  her  in  a  drive  to  Rich- 
mond to  day,  and  of  course  you  go  with  us.  This  you 
know  is  to  be  my  last  idle  day,  for  I  don't  know  how 
long;  so  come  along,  Georgy,"  and  the  brother  and  sister 
left  the  room  together. 

I  have  particularly  introduced  Juliet  to  the  reader 
already,  but  the  pedigree  of  Robert  Stanton  is  unknown 
to  him,  although  he  is  not  altogether  a  new  acquaintance. 
I  have  called  him  a  cousin  of  Georgiana's — but  he  can 
scarcely  be  considered  as  such  as  the  relationship  only 
exists  through  marriage.  His  mother  was  the  cousin  of 
Mrs.  Lyman's  sister,  but  she  had  never  seen  Robert  until 
her  return  to  England  from  the  United  States,  when  he 
had  just  finished  his  education  and  returned  to  Canter- 
bury from  Oxford  College,  at  which  place  he  had  been 
studying  for  two  years,  after  having  left  Westminster 
School,  and  he  had  seized  the  opportunity  of  her  re- 
quiring an  escort,  to  accompany  her  and  Juliet  in  their 


330  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

tour  on  the  continent,  where  I  tirst  introduced  him  to  the 
reader.  For  the  rest — he  was  a  lively,  talented  young 
man,  passably  good-looking,  and  full  of  fun  and  good 
humor ;  in  fact,  rather  a  dangerous  preux  chevalier  to  ac- 
company a  young  lady  on  a  tour  of  pleasure,  and  it  is  pos- 
sible, had  not  Georgiana  fallen  into  the  water  at  Malta, 
and  been  rescued  by  a  hero,  who  turned  out  so  charm- 
ingly and  romantically  to  be  a  long  lost  cousin,  matters 
might  have  taken  a  different  turn  as  regards  the  affec- 
tions of  her  heart ;  and  had  not  Robert  found  a  second 
charmer  after  being  thus  unceremoniously  shut  out  from 
the  place  he  was  beginning  to  occupy  in  her  heart,  there 
might  have  been  a  case  of  blighted  affection,  and  I  don't 
know  what  besides;  but  then  the  lady  of  the  Convent 
of  St.  Euphemia  came  happily  to  the  rescue,  just  in  time 
to  save  Robert  from  despair,  and  thus  all  parties  were 
happily  suited,  " Vhomrne  propose"  says  the  French  pro- 
verb, mais  Dieu  dispose"  and  sometimes  not  altogether 
favorably  to  man's  desires,  but  in  this  case  the  current 
of  true  love  appeared  to  run  smooth,  and  so  here,  for 
the  present,  I  shall  leave  the  young  folks,  and  return  to 
the  fortunes  of  others  of  the  dramatis  personce  of  my  nar- 
rative. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A.  lady's  soliloquy — An  unexpected  rencontre,  and  an  equally 
unexpected  offer  and  refusal. 

I  INTRODUCE  the  reader  again  to  Alton  Castle.  In 
the  same  favorite  apartment  in  which  I  first  introduced 
Lady  Mary  Alton  to  the  reader,  she  is  now  seated, 
busily  engaged  in  examining  various  papers,  and  writing 
letters.  She  is  attired  in  deep  mourning,  and  her  face 
is  pale,  and  a  melancholy  earnest  expression  rests  upon 
her  features ;  yet  Lady  Mary  Alton,  in  the  gayest  hours 
of  her  girlhood,  ere  time  had  begun  to  cast  his  shadow 
upon  her  youth,  never  looked  more  beautiful ;  for  even 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.'  831 

now,  although  she  was  no  longer  young — nay,  had 
passed  the  early  stage  of  middle  life — time,  as  1  have 
already  observed,  had  dealt  gently  with  her.  The  jetty 
glo.-'s  of  her  raven  hair  was  not  marred  by  one  silvery 
thread.  Her  large,  dark  grey  eyes,  shaded  by  long 
silky  eyelashes  and  finely  penciled  black  eyebrows, 
sparkled  brightly  as  ever,  and  beamed  with  deeper  feel- 
ing when,  half  shaded  by  her  drooping  eyelids,  she  gave 
way  to  the  pensive  melancholy  which  had  long  been 
stealing  over  her  mind,  and  had  now  become  part  of 
her  being.  Her  fair,  broad  brow  was  without  a  wrinkle  ; 
only  slight,  very  slight  lines  of  care  and  anxiety  traced 
from  the  corners  of  her  mouth  could  possibly  have  indi- 
cated to  any  but  a  most  acute  observer  that  she  had 
numbered  upwards  of  forty  years. 

She  has  risen  from  her  seat  and  touched  the  bell. 
Annette,  her  ladyship's  own  waiting-maid,  replies  to 
the  summons,  and  the  lady  places  in  her  hand  the  last 
letter  she  has  written. 

"  Thomas  has  not  yet  left  the  castle  with  the  letters 
for  the  Shrewsbury  post-office,  Annette  ?"  inquires  Lady 
Mary. 

"No,  my  lady." 

"  Then  hasten  to  him  with  this  letter — it  must  go  by 
the  London  mail  to-night ;  it  is  for  Miss  Fitzherbert, 
who  is  residing  at  Clapham,  and  I  wish  her  to  receive 
it  by  the  early  town  delivery,  to-morrow  morning.  The 
other  letters — let  me  see,  you  can  take  this,  and  this — 
no,  never  mind ;  I  shall  perhaps  require  to  add  some- 
thing to  them  yet.  Go  to  Thomas  with  the  letter  1  have 
given  you,  Annette." 

The  lady's  maid  left  the  room,  and  Lady  Mary  walked 
to  the  window  and  gazed  long  and  pensively  across  the 
park  and  gardens  of  the  castle. 

"I  have  determined  how  to  act,"  she  soliloquized, 
after  having  stood  silent  and  absorbed  in  thought  for 
some  minutes;  "and  when  those  letters  are  despatched 
my  determination  will  be  irrevocable;  and  yet  it  will 
grieve  me — deeply  grieve  me,  to  bid  an  eternal  farewell 


332  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

to  the  home  of  nry  ancestors.  How  beautiful  is  the 
scenery  from  these  windows,  every  portion  of  the  land- 
scape hallowed  by  some  fond  recollection,  yet,  alas ! 
every  recollection  tinged  with  the  sadness  of  my  lonely, 
weary  heart ;  but  for  one  false  step  in  early  youth  ;  but 
for  the  foolish  gratification  of  the  pride  and  coquetry 
that  marked  my  girlhood,  how  different  might  have 
been  my  fate — with  what  different  feelings  might  I  have 
been,  at  this  moment,  gazing  from  these  windows.  I 
might  not  have  been  alone  in  the  world.  I  might  have 
had  children  grown  up  and  around  me  ready  to  be  the 
stay  and  comfort  of  the  old  age  which,  ere  many  more 
summers  and  winters  have  passed,  must  creep  upon  me. 
I  might  have  had  a  husband  whom  I  could  love  and  re- 
spect, to  support  me  amid  all  the  trials  of  life  which 
befal  the  wealthy  and  high-born,  as  well  as  the  lowly 
and  poor.  I  might  have  had  around  me  those  who 
loved  me — those  upon  whom  I  could  have  lavished  the 
current  of  affection  which  has  been  bound  up  within 
me  without  being  able  to  find  a  healthy  vent,  until  my 
heart  has  been  wrung  and  well-nigh  broken.  Oh,  what 
is  the  worth  of  wealth,  honor,  title,  all  that  the  world 
calls  greatness,  if  the  affections  are  stifled  and  dried  up 
in  the  bosorn.  I  would  exchange  rny  countess' — aye,  a 
duchess'  coronet,  this  very  hour,  to  enjoy  the  domestic 
happiness  I  witnessed  to-day  in  the  abode  of  one  of  my 
poorest  tenants  ;  but  it  is  useless  to  think  of  such  matters 
now.  I  have  suffered  the  punishment  due  to  pride  and 
vanity — sometimes  I  fancy  I  have  been  made  to  suffer 
too  severely  ;  but,  no — to  say  this  were  blasphemy  ;  does 
not  the  good  Father  Ansel  mo  bid  me  take  heart  from 
these  mental  sufferings  I  am  compelled  to  endure  during 
this  my  weary,  lonely,  pilgrimage  on  earth,  in  the  hope 
that  they  may  be  accepted  as  an  atonement  in  Heaven. 
Still  the  human  heart  is  weak,  and  before  I  bid  forever 
farewell  to  the  pomp  and  vanity  and  heartlessness  of 
the  world,  I  would  fain  disburthen  to  one  of  my  own 
sex,  one  who  can  sympathize  with  me  and  feel  for  me, 
and  to  whom  my  fate  may  be  a  warning,  the  feelings 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  833 

which  have  for  years  been  secreted  within  my  breast, 
unknown  and  undreamed  of  by  any  save  Father  Ansel- 
mo,  and,  good  old  man  as  he  is,  he  cannot  sympathize 
with  me  as  my  heart  yearns  for  sympathy.  Georgiana 
will  receive  my  letter,  I  hope,  to-morrow,  and  if,  as  I 
trust  she  will  do,  she  immediately  leaves  London  for 
Shrewsbury,  she  will  arrive  at  the  castle  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  following  day.  That  will  be  Thursday  ;  I 
am  glad  I  did  not  send  these  other  letters  off  to-day ;  I 
would  be  undisturbed  by  business  during  the  remainder 
of  this  week.  A  few  days  devoted  to  the  natural  sym- 
pathies of  my  sex1 — a  few  days  spent  in  the  society  of 
the  child  of  Herbert,  and  then — then  the  veil  and  the 
cloister ;  thenceforward,  the  proud  heiress — the  wealthy 
titled  proprietress  of  Alton  will,  I  hope  and  trust,  forget 
her  worldly  honors  and  her  worldly  sorrows,  in  the 
du.ies  pertaining  to  a  religious  life."  As  she  ceased 
her  soliloquy,  Lady  Mary's  handkerchief  slipped  from 
her  hand,  and  as  she  turned  and  stooped  to  pick  it  up 
from  the  floor,  she  was  startled  by  hearing  a  step  on  the 
gravel  walk  which  led  to  the  glass  door  that  opened  on 
the  lawn.  In  another  moment  the  door  was  thrown 
open,  and  Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert,  in  travelling  attire, 
stood  before  the  astonished  lady. 

To  tell  the  truth,  Lord  Henry  was  little  less  surprised 
than  Lady  Mary,  at  this  unexpected  and  rather  an- 
noying contre  temps  on  his  p;irt.  lie  had  met  the 
castle-warden  after  alighting  from  the  carriage,  which 
had  conveyed  him  from  Shrewsbury  to  the  castle ;  and 
this  man,  who  knew  his  lordship  well,  had 'informed 
him  that  his  lady  had  gone  out  in  the  carriage  to 
make  a  morning  call  upon  a  family  residing  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  castle,  which,  in  fact,  was  the  truth. 
Lady  Mary  had  gone  out  for  that  purpose  some  hours 
before,  and  had  returned  unknown  to  the  warden — who 
had  been  occupied  on  some  business  which  led  him  to  a 
.distant  part  of  the  extensive  park — and  his  lordship  not 
wishing  to  enter  the  castle  until  the  lady  was  at  home, 
had  wandered  over  the  grounds  and  among  the  preserves 


834  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

and  plantations  for  an  hour  or  two,  in  hopes  to  catch 
sight  of  the  carriage  on  its  return  to  the  castle,  upon 
the  road  which  passed  over  an  eminence  half  a  mile  dis- 
tant from  the  carriage  entrance  to  the  park — until  feel- 
ing wearied  with  waiting,  he  had  approached  the  ca.stle 
by  a  back  part  of  the  grounds,  to  make  further  enquiries 
from  the  servants.  It  had  not  occurred  to  him  that 
Lady  Mary  was  not  in  mourning,  or,  rather,  he  had 
forgotten  it — for,  Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert  was  not 
gifted  with  the  faculty  of  retaining  many  ideas  in  his 
rnind  at  once,  and  catching  a  glimpse  of  a  female  form 
in  a  dark  dress,  he  had  taken  her  for  Annette,  the 
lady's  maid,  and  had  hastened  towards  the  apartment, 
pushed  open  the  glass  door,  and  entered  the  room, 
before  he  was  aware  of  his  unlucky  error ;  for  to  come 
thus  upon  Lady  Mary,  at  this  particular  moment,  when 
he  had  a  special  object  in  visiting  her,  dusty  and  travel- 
stained,  was  the  last  thing  his  lordship  would  have 
desired. 

Lady  Mary  was  both  startled  and  alarmed ;  and,  for 
once  in  his  life,  the  fine  gentleman  of  fashion  and  the 
roue,  was  thrown  off  the  equipoise  of  conventional  good 
breeding.  His  lordship  stuttered  and  stammered,  but 
could  give  utterance  to  no  connected  sentence.  He  had 
studied  a  fine  speech  for  the  occasion,  which  he  had  in- 
tended to  have  rehearsed  in  his  dressing-room  before 
being  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  lady  of  the  castle ; 
but  now  he  was  completely  at  fault — even  could  he  have 
thought  of  one  single  word  of  what  he  had  intended  to 
have  said,  it  would  not  have  been  exactly  comne  il  faut 
to  have  commenced  a  love  declaration  in  such  an  abrupt 
manner  as  this.  It  would  have  been  too  much  like  a 
puerile  imitation  of  the  way  such  things  were  effected  in 
old. feudal  times,  when  gallant  knights  stormed  the 
castles  in  which  resided  their  ladye  loves,  and  having 
knocked  the  fair  damsel's  father  and  brothers  on  the 
head,  and  hanged  the  seneschals  and  serving  men, 
locked  the  doors,  and  poured  their  vows  of  love  inter 
the  trembling  and  despairing  lady's  ear.  The  lady,  as 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS. 

is  usually  the  case  under  similar  circumstances,  was  the 
first  to  assume  an  appearance  of  composure,  and  politely, 
but  coldly,  addressed  his  lordship.  She  asked  to  what 
she  was  indebted  for  so  sudden  and  unexpected  a  visit 
from  Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert.  The  only  reply  that 
Lord  Henry  could  give,  was  that  he  had  come  down  to 
the  castle  from  London  to  pay  a  visit  of  condolence  on 
account  of  the  sudden  and  lamented  death  of  the  late 
earl,  her  ladyship's  father ;  and  then  he  stated,  as  well 
as  he  could,  the  causes  which  led  to  his  abrupt  and  un- 
expected appearance  before  her,  and  begged  her  permis- 
sion to  retire  to  a  dressing-room  and  render  himself 
presentable.  This  request,  of  course,  was  immediately 
granted;  and  a  servant  having  been  summoned,  his 
lordship  bowed,  and  left  the  apartment. 

When  he  had  gone,  Lady  Mary  set  herself  to  work 
to. consider  what  could  be  the  real  cause  of  this  visit 
from  Lord  Henry  ;  for  she  was  well  aware  that  his 
avowed  reason  was  a  mere  subterfuge.  Nor  was  her 
woman's  tact  long  in  coming  to  a  right  conclusion  ;  for 
she  smiL.-d  half  contemptuously,  half  compassionately,  as 
she  said  aloud : 

"  Poor  simpleton  !  Does  he  think  I  cannot  see  through 
the  disguise  he  attempts  to  throw  around  his  motives  1 
My  husband,  under  no  circumstances — at  no  period  of 
my  life,  could  Henry  Fitzherbert  have  been,  and  most 
assuredly  he  can  never  become  so  now.  Money  is  the 
only  object  that  ever  could  or  ever  will  tempt  Henry 
to  marry,  and  it  is  my  money,  not  my  hand,  he  now 
seeks  in  reality.  Poor  fellow  1"  she  continued  ;  and  yet 
there  was  as  much  of  scorn  and  contempt  as  of  pity  in 
her  tone;  "  he  has  been  a  vain,  frivolous,  childish  spend- 
thrift all  his  days — the  unrecognized  child  of  royalty, 
and  yet  born  in  wedlock.  In  a  false  position  of  life,  ho 
has  been  trained  by  circumstances,  to  play  a  degraded 
part  in  life's  drama — more  than  noble  by  birth,  yet  as  a 
noble,  scarcely  acknowledged — with  the  right  according 
to  the  laws  of  God,  to  claim  the  privileges  of  his  birth- 
right— by  the  law  of  man  he  has  been  set  aside  and  dis- 


336  THE  LAWYER'S  STOHY;  OR, 

honored — without  a  mother's  or  a  father's  care  to  guide 
his  mind  aright  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  he  has  been 
nursed,  and  trained  up,  and  educated  by  base  syco 
phants  and  flatterers.  Can  it  be  expected  that  he  should 
have  turned  out  other  than  he  has  done  ?  Poor  fellow  ! 
necessitated  to  maintain  the  appearance  of  a  man  of 
rank  and  fashion,  he  has,  throughout  his  life,  now  past 
its  meridian,  been  the  victim  of  comparative  penury ; 
he  is  to  be  pitied  rather  than  blamed.  What  is  money 
to  me  now  'I  I  have  more  at  my  disposal  than  I  well 
know  what  to  do  with.  My  poor  father  taught  him'  to 
expect  my  hand,  or  rather  my  fortune,  and  it  is  but  just 
that — led  into  expenses,  as  he  may  have  been,  in  conse- 
quence of  that  expectation — I  should  repair,  as  far  as  I 
am  able,  the  mischief  my  poor  father  has  done.  He  shall 
have  money,  as  delicately  tendered  as  possible,  though,  as 
for  that,"  and  she  smiled  faintly  as  she  spoke,  "  as  for 
that,  I  doubt  whether  there  is  any  fear  of  hurting  his 
feelings,  yet  I  would  not  insult  him.  I  would  not  like 
to  hear  of  any  mishap  befalling  him,  through  faults 
for  which  my  father  was  to  blame,  as  much  as  he  is  ;  in 
fact,  for  which  I  am  to  blame  for  failing  in  the  moral 
courage,  which  should  have  taught  me  at  once,  in  dis- 
covering the  plot  that  was  going  on,  to  put  a  stop  to 
it,  so  far,  at  least,  as  I  was  concerned  in  it — and  then, 
is  he  not  the  half  brother  of  poor  Herbert !  He  whom 
1  loved  in  youth,  and  whom  I  spurned  while  still  lov- 
ing him — he  whom  I  thought  1  had  steeled  my  heart 
to  hate,  but  whose  image  I  could  not  efface  from  my 
mind,  and  whose  memory  I  have  now  allowed  myself 
to  revere  and  love  as  the  only  solace  left  to  me  on 
earth.  Yes,  yes,  Henry  wants  money,  and  money  he 
shall  have;  would  that  all  wants  were  as  easily  satis- 
fied." 

An  hour  elapsed,  and  Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert  made 
his  re-appearance  attired  in  the  very  extremity  of  the 
fashion,  according  to  Stultz's  last  pattern,  for  the  cos- 
tume to  be  worn  in  a  maison  de  deuil.  A  black  dress 
coat,  ditto  waistcoat  and  trowsers,  with  scarcely  any  or- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  337 

nament  upon  his  person,  except  a  diamond  ring  upon  the 
third  finger  of  his  right  hand,  a  black  silk  necktie,  and  a 
broad  band  of  crape  around  a  new  hat  of  Christy's  ex- 
quisite make,  patent  leather  shoes,  and  black  silk  stock- 
ings, completed  his  attire  ;  and  although  his  lordship 
was  now  verging  towards  his  fiftieth  year,  his  features 
and  figure  were  still  handsome,  and  his  deportment  per- 
fectly unexceptionable. 

Not  a  word  was  said  respecting  the  late  blunder,  for 
his  lordship  thought  that  to  attempt  any  further  apology 
was  uncalled  for,  and  still  it  was  with  something  of  an 
embarrassed  air  that  the  schooled  gentleman  of  fashion 
sought  to  open  upon  the  subject  which  had  brought  him 
from  London.  He  might,  perhaps,  have  even  left  with- 
out having  attempted  to  accomplish  his  purpose,  had  not 
Anderson,  who  had  accompanied  his  master,  informed 
him  before  he  left  Shrewsbury  that  morning,  that  Jacob, 
the  money-lender,  had  followed  them  to  the  county  town, 
having,  by  some  means,  learnt  that  a  visit  to  the  castle 
was  contemplated  by  his  lordship,  and  being  determined 
to  judge  for  himself  as  to  the  probability  of  his  being 
paid  within  the  specified  time,  his  demand  of  £25,000. 

At  length  his  lordship,  after  all,  somewhat  blunder- 
ingly adverted  to  the  object  of  his  visit : 

"  I  am  sorry,  Lady  Mary,"  he  began,  "  that  the  stu- 
pidity of  the  counsel  and  attorneys  employed  by  your 
late  lamented  father,  should  have  lost  the  suit — to  gain 
which  was  the  main  object  of  the  late  earl's  ambition. 
Your  father,  madam,  held  many  conversations  with  me 
on  that  interesting  subject,  and  it  is  my  firm  belief  that 
the  venerable  nobleman  would  sooner  have  gained 
that  suit  than  have  changed  his  earl's  to  a  marquis's  or 
even  a  ducal  coronet.  I  need  not  remind  your  ladyship 
that  the  earl,  your  father,  was  equally  desirous  that  a 
union  should  take  place  between  ourselves.  I  should 
not  have  adverted  to  this,  so  soon  after  the  earl's  decease, 
and  while  you,  his  nearest  relative,  and  I,  perhaps 
his  most  esteemed  friend,  were  still  suffering  the  first 
pangs  of  grief,  had  not  rumor  already  gone  abroad,  so 


338  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

heartless  in  the  world  of  fashionable  life  in  which  we 
move,  that  in  consequence  of  the  loss  of  this  suit  the 
anticipated  union  of  Lady  Mary  Alton  and  Lord  Henry 
Fitzherbert  had  been  broken  off.  I  wish,  madam,  to 
convince  the  heartless,  hypocritical  butterflies  of  fashion 
that  all  even  of  their  own  class  are  not  tinctured  with 
their  ingratitude  .and  heartlessness.  A  large  addition  of 
fortune  is  in  all  probability  lost  to  the  Alton  estates ; 
but  I  regard  not  that;  Lady  Mary  Alton  is  the  same  in 
my  eyes  with  or  without  the  estates — the  loss  of  which, 
in  all  probability,  caused  the  attack  which  resulted  in 
her  father's  death.  Lady  Mary,  I  have  not  been  an  ar- 
dent suitor  for  your  hand  and  heart,  because  heretofore 
I  felt  that  in  pressing  my  suit  I  should  have  laid  myself 
open  to  a  suspicion  of  fortune  hunting ;  now  that  suspi- 
cion can  no  longer  exist,  at  least  to  the  same  extent,  I 
have  sought  this  interview  with  your  ladyship,  to  pledge, 
I  should  say,  to  reiterate,  my  vows  of  unalterable  love, 
and  to  solicit  the  honor  of  your  hand  at  as  early  a  day 
as  possible,  consistent  with  the  decorum  which  nature 
and  custom  have  alike  established  as  necessary  on  such 
a  mournful  occasion  as  that  we  have  both  been  so  sud 
denly  called  upon  to  deplore." 

This  exemplary  offer  of  his  hand  and  heart  had  cost 
Lord  Henry  the  greater  part  of  a  night's  rest  to  compose, 
and  had  involved  besides  the  loss  of  upwards  of  a  quire 
of  post-paper  before  any  thing  like  what  his  lordship 
had  considered  a  satisfactory  result  had  been  arrived  at. 
When  it  was  completed,  Anderson  had  been  called  in  to 
give  his  opinion  upon  it,  for  the  valet  was  in  all  his 
lordship's  secrets,  and  he  had  decided  that  it  was  a  per- 
fect gem  in  its  way,  and  could  not  fail  from  the  generosity 
and  disinterestedness  it  implied,  to  enlist  the  sympathies 
of  her  ladyship.  It  had  been  conned  over  and  over  in 
the  post-chaise  during  the  progress  of  the  journey  from 
London  to  Shrewsbury,  for  short  as  it  was,  his  lordship, 
who  was  not  blessed  with  a  very  retentive  memory,  and 
had  found  considerable  difficulty  in  getting  it  by  heart, 
and  it  had  been  rehearsed  in  his  lordship's  dressing-room 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  839 

at  Alton  Castle  not  half  an  hour  before,  Anderson  sit- 
ting in  a  languishing  and  interesting  attitude  on  a  sofa, 
with  a  sheet  wrapped  about  him  and  a  night-cap  on  hia 
head  to  represent  the  lady,  and  his  lordship,  sinking 
upon  one  knee  as  he  came  to  the  sentence,  "  I  have 
sought  this  interview  to  pledge,  I  should  say,  to  reiter- 
ate rny  vows,  and  to  solicit  the  honor  of  your  hand,"  (as 
he  in  fact  did  when  he  rehearsed  it  again  in  the  drawing- 
room  in  the  presence  of  the  lady,)  and  Anderson  again 
for  the  twentieth  time  assuring  his  master  that  it  was  a 
perfect  piece  of  composition,  so  generous  and  feeling- 
like,  that  he  felt  confident  no  lady  could  stand  up  against 
it,  "  especially,"  continued  Anderson,  "  when  your  lord- 
ship goes  to  take  her  hand  and  raise  it  to  your  lips,  as 
you  did  mine  just  now.  It'll  go  direct  through  to  her 
heart,  my  lord,  that  kiss,"  added  Anderson,  "  or  else 
I'm  no  judge  of  women." 

Lady  Alary  had  been  prepared,  as  I  have  already 
shown,  for  some  such  declaration  as  this  on  the  part  of 
Lord  Henry ;  but  knowing  his  weakness  and  vanity,  as 
she  did,  she  certainly  was  not  prepared  for  such  a  piece 
of  rhodomontade  as  she  had  just  unwillingly  and  impa- 
tiently listened  to,  and  when  his  lordship  seized  her 
hand,  According  to  copy,  and  was  proceeding  to  carry  it 
to  his  lips,  she  rather  angrily  withdrew  it.  Her  lirst 
feelings  were  those  of  irritation  at  his  presumption,  but 
she  felt  he  was  too  contemptible  justly  to  excite  her 
anger,  and  scorn  and  contempt  for  the  pitiable  wretch 
ensued,  mingled  with  a  feeling  of  almost  irresistible 
mirth  at  the  absurdity  of  the  whole  affair.  AVhen  his 
lordship  had  concluded,  and  had  risen  from  his  abject 
position  and  again  seated  himself,  as  though  awaiting 
her  reply,  she  could  not  refrain  from  saying,  while  an 
arch  smile  played  upon  her  lips — 

I  fear  your  lordship  is  laboring  under  some  mistake, 
and  that  your  offer  is  not  so  disinterested  as  you  deem 
it.  You  will,  no  doubt,  sir,  be  extremely  sorry  when  I 
recall  to  your  recollection  that  which  your  late  speech 
inclines  me  to  believe  you  have  forgotten,  to  wit :  that  I 


340  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

am  not  left  altogether  a  portionless  orphan  of  forty-five, 
dependent  an  the  generous  nature  of  a  wooer  of  at  least 
the  same  age.  It  will  be  a  sad  blow  to  your  generous 
sentimentality,  my  lord,  but  I  must  remind  you  that  I 
am  the  Lady  of  Alton,  with  broad  lands,  and  a  revenue 
of  £16.000  per  annum,  at  my  own  disposal." 

"  That,  madam,"  replied  his  lordship,  "  I  have  not — 
that  is  to  say — I  did  not — that  is,  I  should  have  men- 
tioned— " 

"  That  it  was  in  the  last  despairing  hope,"  interrupted 
her  ladyship,  "  that  your  lordship  might  acquire  the  con- 
trol of  at  least  a  portion  of  this  property,  that  I  am 
honored  by  this  flattering  proposal  from  your  lordship. 
My  lord,  1  tell  you  plainly  and  honestly,  1  never  loved, 
never  even  esteemed  you ;  but,  sir,  I  did  hope  that  one 
in  your  position  would  have  possessed  more  manliness 
of  character  than  to  attempt  to  impose  upon  any  one 
by  such  a  palpable  subterfuge — such  a  mean  equivoque 
as  tbis.  My  lord,  I  have  long  been  aware  of  the  nature 
of  the  suit  which  I  rejoice  to  say,  bitter,  as  in  one  re- 
spect, have  been  the  consequences  of  its  rejection  to  me, 
has  been  taken  out  of  the  hands  of  the  base  men  who 
urged  my  poor  father  to  prosecute  a  scheme  so  unwor- 
thy of  him.  I  know  full  well,  my  lord,  that  provided 
this  suit  had  been  gained  by  the  puppets  put  up  to  re- 
present the  rightful  heirs,  my  father,  on  obtaining  pos- 
session, would  have  sacrificed  his  daughter's  happiness 
by  bestowing  her  upon  one  whom  she  despised — aye, 
rny  lord,  I  say  despised — in  order  to  show  to  the  world 
an  apparent  generosity  in  giving  up  the  benefit  of  the 
estate,  after  his  death,  to  a  relative  of  the  rightful  heir, 
it  having  been  the  intention  of  the  parties  implicated 
in  the  disgraceful  plot  to  have  entered  another  false 
claim,  which  was  to  end  in  the  resignation  of  the  pro- 
perty by  the  poor  tools  by  whose  aid  it  was  sought  to 
be  won.  Thus,  my  lord — I  grieve  to  say  it,  but  you 
have  forced  me  to  express  myself  in  strong  terms — my 
poor  father,  by  avarice  and  ambition  misled,  would 
have  nearly  doubled  his  wealth,  and,  consequently,  his 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  841 

influence,  and,  as  he  hoped,  have  obtained  a  marquis- 
ate,  perhaps  even  a  dukedom,  and  dying,  would  have 
recompensed  his  daughter,  who  was  to  bear  the  burden 
of  all  this  complicated  guilt,  by  leaving  her  a  coronet 
interwoven  with  the  strawberry  leaves  pertaining  to 
ducal  rank,  to  wear  upon  her  aching  brow.  Thank 
God !  that  even  at  the  dread  cost  of  my  father's  life, 
this  guilt  has  been  averted.  My  poor  father,  I  believe, 
died  penitent.  ^  I  trust  and  believe  that  he  has  met 
with  pardon,  and  that  his  soul  has  fled  where  ambition 
and  avarice  shall  warp  his  nobler  sympathies  no  more. 
You  see  that  I  know  more  than  you  would  have  given 
me  credit  ior,  my  lord ;  nay,  do  not  interrupt  me,"  she 
continued,  waving  her  hand  for  silence,  as  Lord  Henry 
appeared  about  to  speak.  '•  I  know  your  object,  my 
lord.  It  has  been,  at  any  risk,  to  obtain  money.  I 
know  that  your  means  have  been  hardly  sufficient  for 
your  necessary  expenditure,  even  had  you  exercised 
economy.  I  know,  also,  that  building  upon  hopes 
which,  believe  me,  sir,  nevVr,  under  any  circumstances, 
^voldd  have  been  realized,  you  have  been  tempted,  in  order 
to  gratify  a  love  for  display,  to  borrow  sums  of  money 
which  you  have  no  means  of  paying.  I  consider  my 
father,  and  perhaps  myself,  indirectly,  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, to  blame  for  this,  and  it  was  my  intention  on  quitting 
England,  and  I  am  about  to  leave  it  forever,  to  have  be- 
queathed to  you,  in  such  a  manner  as  would  have  allowed 
you  to  use  it  immediately,  such  a  sum  of  money  as  would 
have  paid  your  debts,  arid  enabled  you  to  face  the  world 
like  an  honest  man.  Your  conduct  to-day  has  proved  to 
mi1,  my  lord,  that  you  have  no  delicate  feelings  that  1  can 
offend.  Still,  it  is  not  my  intention  to  change  my  mind 
further  than  in  this  much,  I  shall  present  your  lordship, 
in  the  name  of  rny  late  father,  in  consideration  of  the 
false  hopes  he  contributed  to  raise,  with  £30,000,  on 
condition  that  you  herewith  sign  a  paper,  pledging  me 
your  word  and  honor  that  henceforward  we  are  strangers 
to  each  other  in  word  and  deed,  and  that  you  will  never 
publicly  mention  my  name.  I  had  intended  to  pursue  a 


342  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

different  plan;  but  enough  of  this.     "Will  your  lordship 
do  as  I  require  you  ?" 

Lord  Henry,  who  had  began  to  fear  that  all  his  hopes 
and  anticipations  had  miscarried,  and  who  beheld  him- 
self, in  fancy,  already  immured  within  the  stone  walls 
of  a  prison,  disgraced  and  dishonored  forever,  was  glad, 
mean-souled  wretch  that  he  was,  to  jump  at  the  offer, 
and,  with  many  thanks  and  promises  of  reformation, 
which  Lady  Mary  almost  sickened  to  listen  to,  he 
signed  the  paper,  and  after  receiving  a  check  on  her 
ladyship's  banker  for  the  amount,  departed  for  London, 
closely  followed  by  Jacob,  who  the  next  day  received 
his  £25,000  of  loaned  money  at  forty  per  cent,  interest, 
and  his  lordship,  for  once  in  his  life,  found  himself  out 
of  debt,  and  the  possessor  of  £5000. 


CHAPTEE  XXXIV. 

Confidential  disclosures. 

LADY  MARY  ALTON,  on  her  father's  decease,  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  honors  and  titles  of  the  family ;  the  estates 
having  been  entailed  on  male  or  female  heirs,  and  the 
patent  of  nobilit}' — some  years  before,  when  the  earl  had 
just  begun  to  despair  of  leaving  heirs  male — having, 
through  his  influence  with  the  sovereign,  been  rendered 
hereditary  in  the  male  or  female  line  alike.  I  remarked 
in  the  foregoing  chapter,  that  Lady  Mary  Alton,  (I 
should  say  the  Countess  of  Shropshire ;  but,  ysLady  Mary 
I  first  knew  her,  and  introduced  her  to  the  reader — and 
as  Lady  Mary,  1  still  choose  to  recollect  her,)  had  dis- 
patched a  letter  to  Miss  Fitzherbert,  inviting  her  to  visit 
Alton  Castle,  and  informing  her  that  her  ladyship  was 
about  quitting  England  forever;  therefore,  she  begged 
that  Miss  Fitzherbert  would  make  no  unnecessary  de- 
lay. Georgiana  duly  received  the  letter,  and  having 
shown  it  to  her  brother — for  he  was  included  in  the  in- 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  843 

vitation — it  was  settled  that  she  should  immediately 
start  for  Alton  Castle,  and  that  Adolphus  should  accom- 
pany her  and  remain  for  the  day;  and  then  return  to 
London,  in  order  to  arrange  the  preliminaries  relative 
to  his  intended  law  studies;  also  that  he  should  return 
to  Alton  again  at  the  period  fixed  for  the  termination 
of  his  sister's  visit,  in  order  to  escort  her  back  to  Lon- 
don again. 

On  the  day  that  Lady  Mary  had  expected  them,  they 
arrived  at  the  castle,  and  were  received  as  old  friends 
— or,  rather,  as  junior  relatives,  whom  her  ladyship  had 
known  and  loved  from  their  childhood,  upwards.  To 
both,  Lady  Mary  was  affectionately  kind ;  although,  of 
course,  she  was  less  restrained  with  Georgian  a.  Lady 
Mary  was  not,  certainly,  a  young  woman;  still  she  was 
sufficiently  youthful  in  her  appearance,  and  sufficiently 
prepossessing  in  feature,  to  render  it  necessary  in  order 
to  avoid  scandal,  to  refrain  from  the  strong  expressions 
of  regard  which  she  would  willingly  have  bestowed  upon 
the  son  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert.  As  had  been  arranged, 
Adolphus  left  Alton  Castle  for  Shrewsbury,  in  the  even- 
ing— so  as  to  be  ready  for  the  departure  of  the  early 
train  for  London,  on  the  following  morning;  and  the 
next  day,  Lady  Mary  and  Miss  Fitzherbert  spent  in  each 
other's  society,  the  former  informing  the  latter  lady  of 
the  reasons  which  had  led  her  so  anxiously  to  desire  to 
see  her  before  she,  Lady  Mary,  left  England. 

"  You  will  recollect,  dear  Miss  Fitzherbert,"  she  said, 
"  that  at  the  close  of  our  last  and  only  former  interview, 
I  told  you  that  I  was  deeply  interested  in  your  success 
with  regard  to  the  late  suit,  although  circumstances 
would  have  led  you  to  imagine  the  contrary  to  be  the 
case.  1  am  now  about  to  leave  England  forever. 
Whither  I  am  going,  is  as  yet  known  only  to  Father 
Anselmo,  my  poor  lather's  chaplain,  and  one  who  was 
iny  instructor  in  childhood,  and  has  been  my  guide  and 
adviser,  my  only  confidant  during  the  latter  period  of 
my  life;  for  even  my  dear  aunt,  the  Countess  de  Tivoli, 
abbess  of  the  Convent  of  St.  Euphemia,  has  not  yet  been 


344  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

fully  advised  of  my  determination.  I  thought  I  had 
been  possessed  of  sufficient  stoicism  lo  have  left  all  be 
hind  me  without  a  sigh  of  regret,  and  to  have  buried 
forever  in  my  own  bosom,  and  in  time  to  have  forgotten 
in  the  prosecution  of  my  new  duties,  the  weaknesses 
and  troubles  of  my  worldly  life ;  but  as  the  hour  of  rny 
departure  from  the  home  of  my  ancestors  draws  near,  I 
find  that  it  is  harder  than  I  thought  to  sever  the  ties  that 
bind  frail  humanity  to  the  vanities  and  follies  of  the 
world.  Georgiana,  to  Father  Anselrno,  in  the  secrets  of 
the  confessional,  have  I  alone  as  yet  disclosed  the  de- 
voted love  which  I  once  had  for  your  father." 

Georgiana  started  with  surprise. 

Lady  Mary  smiled,  and  gently  laying  her  hand  on  the 
young  girl's  arm,  she  continued : 

"I  had  thought  to  have  hidden  the  story  of  this  un- 
happy love  forever  from  the  knowledge  of  others  ;  but 
when  I  saw  you  and  your  brother  at  the  inn  in  Shrews- 
bury ;  where  I  started  with  surprise  on  seeing  before  me 
the  very  image  of  Herbert  in  his  youthful  days  ;  when  I 
traced  in  your  features,  as  you  stood  anxiously  and  pain- 
fully, as  it  appeared,  listening  to  some  words  that  Mr. 
Hughes  was  saying  relative  to  the  coming  trial,  an  ex- 
pression so  strongly  resembling  that  of  your  father's  face 
when  I  last  saw  him,  as  he  stood  listening  almost  incre- 
dulously, to  some  vain  and  cruel  words  I  had  let  fall,  on 
purpose  to  annoy  him  and  prove  the  influence  I  had  over 
him — an  influence,  alas  !  exerted  once  too  often  for  my 
happiness — I  determined  then  to  ease  my  overburdened 
feelings  by  making  you — one  of  my  own  sex — one  who 
could  sympathize  with  me — you  the  daughter  of  my 
poor  lost  Herbert — the  confidant  of  the  hopeless  and 
weary  sorrow  of  my  blighted  life." 

The  unhappy  lady  then  related  to  Georgiana  the  his- 
tory of  her  first  love  for  Herbert  Fitzherbert,  and  how  it 
was  broken  off,  the  "  love  turned  to  hatred"  which  en- 
sued, and  the  subsequent  return  of  tender  recollections, 
which  the  reader  will  recollect  Lady  Mary  dwelt  upon 
in  her  soliloquy  when  I  first  introduced  her  in  her  sitting 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  345 

room  at  Alton  Castle.  "  And  now,"  she  added,  "I  am 
about  to  bid  farewell  forever  to  all  worldly  thoughts,  re- 
collections and  ambitions — a  few  weeks  more,  Miss  Fitz- 
herbert,  will  witness  me  a  resident — I  hope  a  contented 
and  a  happy  one  in  the  Convent  of  St.  Euphemia  in 
Italy,  at  which  peaceful  and  in  my  mind,  happy  abode, 
the  days  of  my  early  childhood  were  spent,  for  there  I 
experienced  happiness  and  content  that  have  been  since 
unknown  to  me." 

"  But  my  lady,"  exclaimed  Georgiana  who  had  the 
day  before  felt  rather  bashful  in  Lady  Mary's  company  ; 
but  who  had  by  this  time  been  completely  won  over  by 
her  gentle  manners  and  by  her  evident  admiration  of  her 
father  and  fond  recollections  of  his  memory,  evinced  by 
her  disinterested  kindness  to  his  children;  "but,  my 
lady,  you,  with  everything  around  you  to  make  you 
happy ;  in  the  possession  of  wealth  which  will  enable 
you  to  do  so  much  good  in  this  world,  and  of  a  rank  in 
life  which  will  ensure  you  influence  in  the  propagation 
of  any  good  work ;  with  numerous  tenants  looking  up 
to  you  for  advice  and  protection ;  for  that  your  tenants 
love  you  I  have  had  ample  proof  from  the  conversations 
I  heard  last  night  when  I  accompanied  my  brother  to 
Shrewsbury  in  the  carriage  ;  Adolphus  got  into  conver- 
sation with  the  coachman,  and  at  my  brother's  sugges- 
tion, he  took  up  two  aged  villagers  who  were  going  to 
the  county  town  on  some  simple  business  of  their  own  ; 
oh,  Lady  Mary,  had  you  only  heard  how  kindly — how 
affectionately  they  spoke  of  the  lady  at  the  castle — how 
they  regretted  the  death  of  the  earl,  who  had  always 
been  a  kind  master  and  an  indulgent  landlord,  although 
they  said  he  had  been  too  deeply  engaged  in  Parliament 
matters  to  look  so  closely  after  the  affairs  at  Alton  as  hi.s 
tenants  could  have  wished  ;  and  how,  now  that  he  was 
no  more,  they  seemed  to  take  it  for  granted  that  the 
good,  kind-hearted  Lady  Mary,  his  daughter,  would  re- 
side more  among  those  who  loved,  and  respected  her  as 
they  did — if  you  had  heard  all  this  as  I  did,  Lady  Mary, 


846  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

I  am  sure  you  never  would  think  of  quitting  them  and 
Alton  Castle  forever." 

"Dear  Miss  Fitzherbert,"  replied  Lady  Mar j,  "  I  have 
for  some  years  past  cherished  a  desire  to  retire  from  the 
busy,  frivolous  world  and  to  spend  the  remainder  of  my 
life  in  the  peaceful  seclusion  of  the  convent;  I  thought  a 
few  months,  aye,  a  few  weeks  ago,  it  would  be  easier 
than  it  really  is  to  turn  my  back  upon  all  worldly  things ; 
nevertheless,  although  the  struggle  is  severe,  my  mind 
is  no  less  determined.  The  tenants  of  Alton  will  find 
another  landlord,  one  who  will  be  to  them  all  and  more 
than  was  the  Earl  of  Shropshire,  or  than  Mary  Alton 
can  be." 

"  Who  then  takes  possession  of  this  beautiful  castle 
and  this  noble  estate?"  inquired  Georgiana,  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"The  Church,"  replied  Lady  Mary;  "that  is  to  say, 
the  late  earl's  confessor,  Father  Anselmo,  who  is  well 
acquainted  with  the  wants  and  necessities  of  the  ten- 
antry, who  has  been  much  among  them  and  studied 
well  their  character  and  the  best  methods  of  exercising  a 
beneficial  influence  over  them,  will  reside  at  the  castle 
and  superintend  the  management  of  the  estates,  which 
will  be,  in  a  few  weeks  more,  in  the  possession  of  the 
Convent  of  St.  Euphemia." 

"  And  all  this  enormous  property  goes  to  the  church 
then  ?"  said  Georgiana,  abstractedly. 

"  Rather,"  replied  Lady  Mary,  "  it  goes  to  the  services 
of  religion.  Could  it  be  used  for  a  better  purpose  ?  Yet 
not  all ;  I  have  reserved  a  considerable  portion  for  secu- 
lar purposes — for  the  purposes  of  private  friendship  and 
private  duties.  Annette  and  all  my  servants,  as  well  as 
those  of  the  late  earl— indeed  all  the  servants  of  the 
castle — are  remembered,  and  when  I  have  left  they  will 
find  themselves  in  the  possession  of  annuities  which  will 
render  them  comfortable  for  the  remainder  of  their  days. 
Then  money  has  been  freely  expended  in  other  ways  that 
I  need  not  mention.  And,  now,  Miss  Fitzherbert,  I  have 
yet  one  thing  more  to  say ; — you  and  your  brother  have 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WKOXGS.  347 

indirectedly  suffered  through  my  father's  injustice,  for 
had  he  not  been  tempted  from  the  path  of  duty  by  ava- 
rice and  ambition  your  father  would  have  been  the  lord 
of  broad  lands,  little  less  in  value  than  those  of  Alton. 
My  poor  father  died  repentant,  and,  had  he  lived,  would 
have  sought  to  make  reparation.  This,  at  least,.!  please 
myself  in  believing.  It  remains,  therefore,  for  me,  his 
daughter,  with  the  respect  due  to  my  father's  memory, 
to  complete  that  which,  in  consequence  of  his  hasty  sum- 
mons into  the  mysteries  of  eternity,  has  been  left  undone. 
There  is  a  small  estate  belonging  to  the  Alton  property, 
called  Rosehill.  It  is  but  a  little  farm,  laid  out  for  the 
greater  part  of  it  in  pleasure  grounds,  and  comprises  only 
a  few  acres  of  land,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  beautiful 
little  cottage,  built  after  the  Tuscan  style.  It  was  a  fa- 
vorite residence  of  my  father's  in  his  younger  days,  when 
he  went  on  a  sporting  excursion  for  a  few  days,  with  a 
party  of  friends :  before  many  years,  I  feel  confident  that 
your  brother  Adolphus  will  come  into  possession  of  the 
late-contested  property.  If  he  is  like  Herbert  was  at  his 
age — as  like  him  in  disposition  as  he  is  in  person — he 
would  refuse  any  offer,  however  just  it  might  be,  on  my 
part,  if  it  involved  what  the  most  fastidious  sense  of 
honor  could  construe  into  an  obligation ;  he  has  talents 
which,  in  a  few  years,  will  render  liim  independent  by 
his  own  exertions,  even  if  the  chancery  decision  be  de- 
layed. I  would  not  subject  myself  to  the  pain  of  a  re- 
fusal by  offering  him  assistance,  for  I  feel  his  proud  spirit 
would  not  accept  it  in  the  sense  in  which  it  would  be  of- 
fered. To  you,  then,  Georgiana,  I  give  this  little  farm 
of  Rosehill,  as  a  memento  of  Mary  Alton  when  she  has 
become  forever  secluded  from  the  world,  and  may  it  long 
remain  yours,  when  Mary  Alton  has  been  removed  from 
all  the  world's  perils  and  temptations.  Nay,"  she  con- 
tinued, noticing  that  Georgiana  was  about  to  speak — \ 
"Nay,  I  will  take  no  denial  in  this.  It  is  no  favor;  it 
is  but  a  small  token  of  respect  from  me  to  yourself- — mind, 
to  yourself.  So  must  your  brother  be  led  to  consider  it ; 
and  recollect  that,  if  you  do  not  receive  it,  it  will  only 


tS48  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

go  with  the  rest  of  the  property  into  the  possession  of 
the  convent.  You  will,  then,  oblige  me  in  this — one  of 
my  last  requests — Miss  Fitzherbert  ?" 

Georgiana  knew  not  what  to  say — she  knew  not  how 
her  brother  would  consider  it ;  but  Lady  Mary  was  so 
very  earnest,  that  at  length,  with  many  thanks,  she  ac- 
cepted the  gift. 

"  This  settled,  let  us  take  a  stroll  around  the  gardens 
contiguous  to  the  castle,"  said  Lady  Mary.  "  I  shall  not 
wander  among  their  paths  many  times  more ;  come — 
let  us  walk." 

The  two  ladies  stepped  out  by  the  glass  door  into  the 
lawn,  and  having  reached  the  terrace,  descended  a  flight 
of  stone  steps  which  led  them  to  the  entrance  of  the 
garden.  It  had  been  a  rabbit  warren,  and  comprised  an 
area  of  several  acres  of  uneven  surface — here  rising  into 
an  eminence,  there  forming  a  miniature  valley,  and  in 
various  places  artificial  ponds  had  been  made,  having 
the  appearance  of  mimic  lakes.  The  father  of  the  late 
earl,  and  the  grandfather  of  lady  Mary,  had  pos.se.ssed  a 
great  love  for  horticulture  and  for  landscape  gardening, 
and  he  had  converted  what  once  had  been  almost  a  desert 
wilderness,  into  the  most  romantic  garden  ground  in  the 
world.  Owing  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  ground,  it  \vns 
full  of  abrupt  turns,  and  consequently,  except  from  an 
eminence,  but  a  small  portion  of  the  garden  could  be 
seen  at  once,  and  each  separate  plot  had  been  cultivated 
in  a  different  style,  here  resembling  a  Swiss  farm,  with 
its  romantic  looking  cottage  arid  outhouses  ;  there  a  flat 
spot  was  laid  out  as  a  Chinese  garden ;  and  further  on,  a 
more  rugged  and  abrupt  turn  disclosed  some  miniature 
mountain  scenery,  resembling  that  of  Wales.  On  an 
eminence,  and  embowered  in  trees,  stood  a  small  cottage, 
inhabited  by  a  real  Welsh  harper,  who  was  blind,  and 
who  had  been  domiciled  here,  a  pensioner  of  Alton,  for 
life.  The  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  soil  in  half  the 
countries  of  Europe  and  Asia  were  imitated  in  different 
portions  of  this  garden,  and  quaint  Chinese  temples  in 
their  appropriate  position^  and  Venetian  gondolas  on  the 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  849 

mimic  Italian  lakes,  and  other  tiny  structures  emblemati- 
cal of  the  country  that  was  intended  to  be  represented, 
were  scattered  throughout  the  grounds.  Georgiana  was 
highly  delighted.  She  had  witnessed  nothing  of  the 
kind  before,  and  to  her  it  appeared  as  though  she  had 
suddenly  been  transported  to  fairy  land. 

"  The  more  I  see  of  this  lovely  place  the  greater  is  my 
astonishment  that  your  ladyship  can  have  arrived  at  the 
determination  to  quit  it  forever,  and  immure  yourself 
for  life  within  the  limits  of  St.  Euphemia,"  she  said.  "  I 
have  been  in  that  convent,  and  though  the  lady  abbess 
is  kind,  pardon  me  for  saying  BO  Lady  Mary,  it  has  little 
attraction  in  my  eyes ;  nor  do  I  believe  that  the  happi- 
ness sought  for  in  vain  without,  is  always  found  within 
the  walls  of  a  convent." 

Lady  Mary  smiled  sadly. 

"  Few  people  view  the  same  object  in  the  same  light," 
she  rejoined,  "  the  mental  vision  adds  to  the  beauty  or 
distorts  the  symmetry  of  the  optical  view.  You  and  I, 
my  dear  Miss  Fitzherbert,  necessarily  picture  to  our 
minds,  as  well  as  we  see  with  our  eyes,  the  seclusion  of 
the  cloister  from  a  different  point  of  view.  I  stand  in 
the  gloomy  shade,  and  have  wandered  long  in  search  of 
rest,  and  to  me  the  convent  offers  the  repose  I  seek. 
You  are  in  the  sunshine  of  life — your  journey  is  yet 
before  you — to  you  the  convent  appears  dark  and 
gloomy.  You  pant  for  liberty — for  freedom — which 
years  will  teach  you  exist  only  as  a  chimera  of  the 
brain.  All  mankind  are  slaves,  the  wealthy  and  titled 
to  the  tyrannical  heartlessness  of  conventional  customs, 
which  they  dare  not  break  through ;  the  poor  to  the 
tyrant  poverty,  which  crushes  out  from  them  all  the 
aspirations  of  humanity,  and,  in  the  course  of  time, 
degrades  God's  image  below  the  level  of  the  brute 
ereation.  I  hope  it  may  never  be  the  case ;  yet  I  fear, 
before  many  years,  you  will  not  think  so  highly  of  the 
pleasures  of  the  world  as  you  seem  to  think  now.  But 
what  a  misanthrope  am  I  become,"  she  added,  smiling 
mournfully  ;  "  heed  me  not,  Georgiana;  I  sincerely  hope 


350  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

you  will  always  be  happy,  and  that  you  may  take  warn 
ing  from  me,  and  avoid  the  shoal  on  which  my  happi- 
ness was  wrecked." 

For  some  minutes  the  two  ladies  walked  on  in  silence : 
at  length,  Georgiana  spoke. 

"  I  should  wish  to  ask  your  ladyship  one  question," 
she  said,  "  and  yet  I  am  fearful  it  would  offend  you ;  you 
would  think  me  too  curious." 

"  By  no  means — I  shall  not  be  offended  at  anything 
you  can  say ;  neither  shall  I  think  you  too  inquisitive. 
What  would  you  ask  me?" 

"Simply,  whether  the  Father  Anselmo,  the  priest  of 
whom  I  have  heard  you  speak,  has  advised  your  lady- 
ship to  this  course  ?" 

Lady  Mary  smiled  : 

"  Has  your  mind  so  soon  been  prejudiced  against  the 
holy  faith  in  which  I  and  my  ancestors,  for  centuries 
back,  have  been  reared,  and  to  which  we  have  remained 
steadfast,  despite  of  threats  and  persecutions." 

Georgiana  blushed  deeply,  and  Lady  Mary,  noticing 
her  emotion,  continued : 

"  No,  dear  Miss  Fitzherbert,  the  world  will  ill- 
naturedly  say  that  I  have  been  tempted,  ensnared  into 
this  renouncement  of  my  birth-right  and  fortune,  it  will 
be  cited  as  another  instance  of  the  greed  of  the  Catholic 
Church  and  the  influence  of  priestcraft.  So  far,  how- 
ever, from  having  advised  me,  Father  Anselmo  has  ever 
gently  dissuaded  me  from  following  my  inclinations  as 
regards  this  determination.  Nor  does  any  one  but  your- 
self and  he  yet  know  that  rnj'  mind  has  become  thus 
resolved." 

''  If  you  would  then  only  alter  your  intentions,  how 
glad  I  should  be,  and  how  glad  Adolphus  would  be  to 
aid  in  banishing  from  your  mind  the  distressing  recol- 
lections you  have  told  me  of.  How  glad  I  should  be  to 
think  I  had  been  the  humble  instrument  of  retaining 
you  among  your  tenants,  who  seem  so  much  attached 
to  you." 

"  Ah  !  you  little  temptress,"  replied  Lady  Mary,  "  you 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  351 

come  in  a  fair  guise,  and  perhaps  had  matters  not  pro 
ceeded  so  far ;  had  I  known  you  before  my  mind  was 
fully  made  up,  I  might — but  what  am  I  talking  of? 
This  disinclination  to  follow  the  path  of  duty  that  con- 
science has  pointed  out,  is  growing  upon  me.  How  dif- 
ferent are  the  anticipations  of  pain  or  pleasure  in  the 
performance  of  one's  duty,  from  the  reality ;  but  here  we 
are  again  at  the  terrace  steps.  Let  us  go  into  the 
castle.  Ah  !  who  can  that  be  ?  Visitors !  I  did  not 
expect  any,"  suddenly  exclaimed  Lady  Mary,  as,  gain- 
ing the  terrace,  two  travelling  carriages,  with  footmen 
in  a  foreign  livery,  were  seen  'waiting  at  the  grand  en- 
trance of  the  castle. 

The  visitors,  who  ever  they  were,'  had,  it  seemed,  just 
alighted  from  the  vehicles,  and  entered  the  castle,  and 
Lady  Mary,  followed  by  Georgiana,  hastened  to  reach 
a  private  pathway,  by  which  she  could  reach  the  castle 
unseen,  in  order  that  she  might  learn  from  the  domes- 
tics who  it  was  who  had  thus  unceremoniously  intruded 
upon  her  privacy. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  arrival  of  a  stranger  alters  the  aspect  of  affairs — / 
return  from  my  tour,  and  spend  an  evening  with  my 
friends. 

THE  strangers  alluded  to  in  the  last  chapter,  proved 
to  be  an  Italian  gentleman  of  military  appearance,  and 
Father  Anselmo,  who  had  been  engaged  at  the  late 
earl's  mansion  in  Grosvenor-square,  London,  in  settling 
his  late  patron's  affairs,  and  who  had  been  unexpectedly 
hurried  back  to  Alton  Castle,  in  consequence  of  the 
arrival  in  London  from  Italy,  of  the  Count  de  Bellona 
(the  strange  gentleman  alluded  to),  who  was  a  distant 
relative  of  the  Tivoli  family,  and  who  had  come  to  Eng- 
land on  a  tour  of  pleasure.  He  had  immediately  called 


352  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  on, 

at  the  earl's  mansion,  not  having  heard  of  his  lord- 
ship's decease,  and  being  the  bearer  of  the  unplea- 
sant intelligence  of  the  severe  illness  of  the  abbess  of  the 
convent  of  the  Euphemia,  who  had  been  struck  with 
paralysis;  and  although  the  symptoms  of  her  disease 
were  no  longer  dangerous,  the  nature  of  it  was  such  as 
to  incapacitate  her  for  the  onerous  position  she  held  in 
the  convent.  She  had,  consequently,  resigned  in  favor 
of  sister  Margeretta,  her  late  deputy.  The  count  was  a 
fine  looking  man,  slightly  past  the  meridian  of  life  ;  but 
with  a  heart  as  fresh  and  youthful  as  it  had  been  thirty 
years  before,  when  he  had  first  donned  the  uniform  of 
an  officer  of  the  Pontifical  Guards,  in  which  regiment  he 
was  now  a  colonel.  His  hair  was  thickly  strewn  with 
grey,  but  his  whiskers,  and  the  heavy  moustache  that  he 
wore,  in  virtue  of  his  military  rankf  were  black  as  jet, 
and  the  sallow  complexion,  too  common  among  most  of 
his  countrymen  afrer  the  first  flush  of  youth  is  passed 
away,  was  relieved  by  a  healthy  tinge  of  red,  created  by 
the  action  of  the  weather  and  the  sun ;  for  the  count,  iu 
the  interval  of  his  military  duties,  had  been  a  great 
traveller.  He  possessed  a  fine  military  bearing,  and  was 
tall  and  robust,  without  the  slightest  approach  to  corpu- 
lency. In  fact,  to  use  a  somewhat  stereotyped  phrase, 
he  was  the  perfect  beau  ideal  of  a  gallant  soldier  and  an 
accomplished  gentleman.  He  had,  when  a  child,  been 
the  playmate  and  companion  of  Lady  Mary,  whenever 
she  obtained  permission  from  her  aunt  to  visit  the  city 
of  Turin,  and  at  one  time  it  had  been  a  cherished  fancy 
of  the  old  earl's,  that  some  day  or  other  the  marriage  of 
the  young  count  and  his  daughter  might  cement  the 
union  that  already  existed  by  marriage  between  the 
families  of  Alton  and  Bellona. 

The  young  count  had  entertained  a  boyish  affection 
for  the  youthful  heiress  of  Alton,  and  it  was  with  a 
sorrowful  heart  that  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  bade  her 
farewell  on  receiving  the  honor  of  a  commission  in  the 
papal  guards.  The  bustle  of  the  camp  and  the  new  scenes 
to  which  he  was  introduced,  had  well  nigh  obliterated 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  353 

all  remembrance  of  his  childhood's  playmate,  and  ten 
years  afterwards  he  married  a  young  .Roman  lady  of 
good  family  and  considerable  fortune,  with  whom  he 
lived  five  years  in  a  state  of  as  perfect  connubial  felicity 
as  man  can  well  enjoy.  In  the  meantime,  she  had  borne 
him  two  children,  both  of  whom  had,  however,  died  in 
infancy,  and  shortly  after  the  death  of  her  youngest,  the 
lady  herself,  who  had  always  had  a  tendency  to  pul- 
monary disease,  died  of  a  rapid  decline.  Since  then  the 
count  had  lived  a  widower,  for  a  long  period  almost  in- 
consolable for  the  loss  of  the  wife"  and  children  he  had 
so  tenderly  loved.  It  was  subsequently  to  the  death  of 
his  wife  that  he  had  indulged  his  inclination  to  travel, 
and  time  at  length  brought  the  solace  that  it  usually 
brings  to  the  afflicted.  For  some  years  past,  he  had 
been  enabled  to  think  of  the  loved  ones  he  had  lost, 
with  a  gentle  melanchoty,  but  without  the  pangs  that 
every  reqpllection  of  them  had  formerly  called  forth,  and 
now  he  was  delighted  with  the  idea  of  again  seeing  the 
once  loved  companion  of  his  youth.  The  recollections 
of  his  childhood  carne  with  renewed  force  into  his 
rnind  as  he  landed  on  her  native  soil ;  and  who  shall 
say  what  other  strange  fancies  flitted  across  the  ima- 
gination of  the  gallant  colonel,  for  he  had  heard  in 
Italy  that  Lady  Mary  was  still  unmarried,  and  know- 
ing little  of  her  history  for  the  last  thirty  years  of  her 
life,  he  had  the  vanity  to  entertain  the  idea  that  she  had 
remained  un wedded,  owing  to  her  love  for  him.  It  was 
with  feelings  of  deep  regret  that  he  heard  of  the  sudden 
death  of  her  father,  and  he  had  urged  the  old  priest  to 
hasten  with  him  in  his  own  travelling  carriage,  imme- 
diately to  the  castle,  in  order  that  he  might  tender  his 
condolence  to  the  lady. 

Lady  Mary  received  her  old  playmate  with  surprise, 
but  with  a  smile  of  pleasure,  and  for  a  moment  the  pleas- 
ing recollection  of  their  youthful  endearments  passed 
across  her  mind,  for  before  she  had  met  with  Herbert  on 
her  return  from  Italy  to  England,  she  had,  in  her  girlish 


354:  (THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

fancy,  sometimes  thought  how  she  should  like  Ludovico 
for  a  husband. 

She  was,  however  shocked  to  hear  of  the  illness  of  her 
aunt,  and  determined  instantly  to  visit  her;  therefore  for 
the  present,  all  further  investigations  into  the  condition 
of  the  late  earl's  affairs  was  left  to  Father  Anselmo,  arid 
Lady  Mary  prepared  at  once  to  visit  Italy,  accepting  the 
Count  de  Bellona  as  her  escort  and  protector  during  the 
journey.  By  the  time  the  preparations  for  travel  were 
complete,  Adolphus  returned  to  Alton  Castle  for  his 
sister,  and  bidding  the  young  people  for  the  present  an 
affectionate  farewell,  Lady  Mary  and  the  Count  de  Bel- 
lona started  on  the  following  morning  for  the  continent — 
Adolphus  and  Georgiana  returning  to  London  on  the 

same  day. 

******** 

Two  years  passed  away,  pleasantly  enough  on  my 
part;  for  I  spent  that  period  traveling  over  the  greater 
portion  of  Europe — not  confining  my  tour  to  the  custo- 
mary, well-trodden  route  of  fashionable  tourists;  but, 
after  visiting  France,  Italy  and  Spain,  I  directed  my 
steps  northward,  and  passing  through  Germany  and 
Prussia.  I  sailed  up  the  Baltic  and  the  Gulf  of  Finland, 
to  Cronstadt,  visited  St.  Petersburg!! — the  city  that 
owes  its  existence  to  the  genius  and  sagacity  of  Peter 
the  Great,  that  half  savage,  yet  most  wonderful  genius — 
and  having  indulged  myself  with  a  lengthened  investi- 
gation into  the  domestic  and  social  habits  of  the  Rus- 
sians— a  nation  whose  interior  economy  is  but  little 
known,  and  little  heeded  by  the  generality  of  travelers, 
although  all  the  more  interesting  in  consequence  of  its 
comparative  novelty — I  crossed  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  and 
visited  the  Swedish  capital,  Stockholm,  and  thence  pro- 
ceeded northward  to  the  North  Cape,  for  the  purpose  of 
witnessing  the  glorious  sight  of  the  sun  at  midnight. 
Thence,  I  returned  through  mountainous  and  barren 
Norway,  stopping  for  weeks  at  the  principal  towns,  and 
enjoying  greatly  the  primitive  manners  of  the  honest, 
hardy,  hospitable  and  unsophisticated  Norwegians.  This 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  355 

tour  occupied  me  a  considerable  time ;  and  it  was  ex- 
actly two  years  from  the  day  I  had  bid  farewell  to 
Adolphus  and  Georgiana,  at  the  hotel  at  Dover,  that  I 
stepped  from  the  pier  of  Christiansand,  in  Norway,  on 
board  the  vessel  which  was  to  convey  me  to  England, 
on  my  return  to  the  United  States.  On  reaching  Hull, 
the  port  in  England  to  which  the  vessel  was  bound,  I 
made  the  best  of  my  way  to  London,  and  immediately 
called  on  Mr.  Hughes,  at  Clapham  Common.  I  had  seen 
so  many  strange  sights  since  I  left  England,  two  years 
before,  that  it  actually  surprised  me  to  find  everything 
standing  seemingly  just  as  I  had  left  it.  As  I  walked 
up  the  gravel  walk  which  led  to  the  house,  I  struck  my 
foot  against  the  watering-potr  which  was  standing  near  a 
bed  of  hyacinths,  and  1  recollected  that  the  very  day 
before  I  left  Clapham,  I  had  been  amusing  myself  with 
watering  that  very  bed  of  flowers,  and  had  sat  down  the 
watering-pot  in  that  place.  I  turned  my  head  and  saw 
the  old  gardener  hoeing  up  some  weeds,  as  I  had  last  seen 
him  engaged,  and  I  could  almost  have  sworn  he  wore 
the  same  garden  dress  he  now  had  on.  Everything 
seemed  the  same  as  when  I  had  last  seen  it ;  the  flower- 
beds, the  little  rustic  garden  chairs  scattered  hither  and 
thither — even  to  the  old  cat  who  was  sunning  herself  on 
the  piazza,  and  who  came  towards  me,  purring  and  rub- 
bing herself  against  my  leg,  as  was  her  wont — that  I  felt 
quite  bewildered  and  rubbed  my  hands  across  my  eyes 
and  forehead,  to  satisfy  myself  that  I  was  awake,  or 
rather  that  I  had  not  just  awakened  from  a  dream  of 
travel  in  distant  lands.  When  I  rung  at  the  door  bell 
and  was  admitted  by  the  servant — the  same  old  servant — 
who  curtsied  to  me  as  unconcernedly,  apparently,  as 
though  1  had  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  town  or  from 
a  short  walk,  and  who  led  tbe  way  to  the  parlor  door, 

opening   it   and   announcing   Mr.  ,  my   mind   was 

scarcely  more  relieved  of  the  strange  feeling  that  comes 
over  one  after  returning  from  an  exciting  voyage  or 
course  of  travel ;  and  finding  everything  we  left  behind 
unchanged,  for,  in  the  parlor  were  seated  Air.  and  Mrs. 


356  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

Hughes,  and  Mr.  and  Miss  Fitzherbert,  (it  was  past  five 
o'clock  on  a  summer  evening,  and  Mr.  Hughes  and 
Adolphus  had  returned  from  town,)  awaiting  the  an- 
nouncement that  dinner  was  ready,  and  I  almost  fancied 
that  they  had  really  expected  me,  as  had  been  my  wontf 
to  form  one  of  the  family  circle,  sans  ceremonie,  whenever 
rny  inclination  led  me  to  pay  them  a  visit. 

The  outburst  of  surprise,  joy  and  welcome,  with  which, 
they  received  me,  however,  restored  my  half  wandering 
senses,  and  the  first  congratulations  on  my  safe  return 
over,  I  was  so  overwhelmed  with  questions  that  I  could 
not  answer  all  at  once  and  therefore  could  not  answer  at 
all,  that  it  was  quite  a  relief  when  dinner  Avas  announced, 
although  I  had  dined  on  quitting  the  cars,  before  starting 
for  Clapham. 

Dinner  over,  we  returned  to  the  parlor,  and  spent  of 
course  a  very  pleasant  evening;  I,  relating  the  history 
of  my  travels,  and  they,  telling  me  all  that  had  occurred 
during  my  absence  that  was  likely  to  be  interesting 
to  me. 

I  found  Georgiana  and  Adolphus  but  little  altered, 
although  the  former  had  I  thought  acquired  a  roundness 
of  outline  which  considerably  enhanced  her  attractions, 
and  the  whiskers  of  the  latter  had  evidently  been  culti- 
vated with  care,  and  overspresd  a  considerable  portion 
of  his  cheeks,  imparting  a  more  manly  expression  to  his 
countenance.  As  to  the  old  couple,  they  appeared  just 
as  I  had  left  them — not  the  slightest  alteration  was  per- 
ceptible. 

In  the  course  of  the  conversation  I  learned  that  "  to 
make  conviction  stronger,"  Mrs.  Lyman  and  her  rela- 
tives had  hunted  up  various  documentary  proofs  of  the 
validity  of  the  claims  of  Adolphus  and  Georgiana,  and 
that  Mr.  Hughes  had  taken  care  that  they  should  be 
transmitted  to  the  proper  quarter.  But  the  suit  was  still 
in  chancery,  and  as  yet  no  idea  could  be  formed  of  the 
period  when  it  would  be  decided. 

Adolphus  had  made  considerable  progress  in  his  law 
studies,  and  as  soon  as  the  necessary  term  of  probation 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  357 

had  expired  he  was  to  be  called  to  the  bar,  whether  or 
not  he  and  his  sister  had  entered  into  possession  of  their 
father's  property,  as  both  he  and  Mr.  Hughes  thought, 
advisedly,  that  it  would  be  perhaps  an  advantage,  and 
at  all  events  no  detriment,  for  him  to  belong  to  an  hon- 
orable and  lucrative  profession,  even  though  he  were  not 
called  upon  to  practise  it  for  a  livelihood. 

Georgiana  had  improved  herself  greatly,  through  the 
kind  consideration  of  Mr.  Hughes,  by  studying  various 
accomplishments,  and  such  more  material  branches  of 
education  as  she,  of  course,  had  not  previously  had  an 
Opportunity  of  acquiring,  but  which  would  be  necessary 
to  her  in  the  position  she  would  in  all  probability  be 
culled  upon  at  some  future  period  to  occupy. 

The  little  farm  of  Kosehill,  which  the  reader  will  re- 
collect Lady  Mary  had  delicately  forced  upon  the  Fitz- 
herberts,  although  Adolphus  had  long  stood  out  against 
receiving  it,  yielded  them  an  income  of  £200  per  annum 
— a  sum  quite  sufficient  for  their  maintenance,  and  which 
relieved  them  from  the  disagreeable  feeling  of  being  in- 
debted to  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Hughes  for  their  present 
support,  although  that  worth}'  gentleman  persisted  in 
saying  that  it  would  be  no  obligation  as  far  as  they 
were  concerned — it  would  rather  be  conferring  an  obli- 
gation on  him,  were  they  to  permit  him  to  allow  them 
a  certain  annual  sum  for  the  present,  for,  as  he  said 
in  a  jocular  manner,  and  yet  half  seriously,  "I  shall 
expect  payment  with  interest  by-and-bye,  when  you 
two  young  people  come  into  possession  of  your  rights, 
and  also  to  have  the  direction  of  all  matters  connected 
with  the  property  which  require  the  services  of  a  lawyer, 
so  you  see  Tarn  not  altogether  so  unselfish  as  you  pre- 
tend to  think  me."  *  *  *  *  * 

The  conversation  by  and  bye  took  another  turn : 

"And  how  is  poor  Lady  Mary?''  I  enquired.  "I 
heard  a  rumor  shortly  after  I  left  England  that  she  had 
determined  upon  retiring  to  the  convent  of  St.  Euphemia 
and  spending  the  remainder  of  her  days  in  the  austere 
seclusion  of  a  religious  life.  Poor  lady!  She  appeared 


358  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

to  be  very  unhappy.  She  was  so  unfortunate,  as  I 
have  heard,  to  meet  with  a  blight  in  her  early  affec- 
tions, and  in  consequence  led  a  life  of  great  mental 
anxiety.  Still  I  think  she  should  not  have  allowed  her 
feelings  to  gain  such  mastery  over  her.  She  was  weak 
to  give  way  to  the  private  sorrow  in  which  1  have  heard 
she  indulged,  even  when  she  was  supposed  by  most  of 
her  associates  to  be  the  reigning  belle  of  fashionable  life. 
It  is  a  pity  to  think  of  the  fine  estate  of  Alton  being 
given  up  to  swell  the  revenues  of  a  foreign  convent,  as, 
when  I  was  in  Rome,  I  was  informed  was  to  be  the  case. 
Poor  lady !  I  suppose  she  has  long  'ere  this  renounced 
all  earthly  ties  and  affections." 

A  quiet  smile  pervaded  the  countenances  of  the  little 
party,  as  Mr.  Hughes  replied  : — 

u  She  has  rather  formed  fresh  ties  and  encouraged 
the  growth  of  fresh  affections,  like  a  wise  woman,  as 
she  turned  out  to  be  at  last,  after  all  her  strange  no- 
tions. Lady  Mary  Alton,  my  dear  sir,  is  now  Countess 
de  Bellona,  having  married  about  twelve  months  ago 
the  count  of  that  name  and  title,  with  whom  she  i.s 
now  living  contentedly  and  happily  in  Tuscany.  He 
escorted  her  ladyship  to  Italy  when  she  went  to  see 
her  aunt,  who  was  suddenly  struck  with  paralysis,  shortly 
after  you  left  England.  Report  says  he  was  a  boy-lover 
of  hers,  the  date  of  the  childish  romaunt  being  antece- 
dent to  that  of  her  ladyship's  girlish,  arid  I  must  ac- 
knowledge too,  pretty  constant  affection  for  Herbert 
Fitzherbert — the  father  of  our  young  friends  here.  She 
and  the  count  went  to  Italy,  leaving  the  venerable  old 
priest,  Father  Anselmo,  whom  you  will  recollect,  to  ar- 
range all  that  was  necessary  preparatory  to  delivering 
the  estates  of  Alton  over  to  the  Church  or  rather  to  the 
Convent:  but  lo,  and  behold!  when  Father  Ansel rno 
had  just  got  everything  settled,  he  received  a  letter  from 
her  ladyship,  desiring  him  to  let  things  proceed  as  usual 
for  the  present,  and  to  reside  himself  at  the  castle  until 
he  heard  further  from  her.  So  matters  rested  for  up- 
wards of  nine  months,  when  one  day  I  saw  in  the  columns 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  859 

of  the  Morning  Post,  among  the  "  fashionable  intelligence," 
a  notice  of  the  arrival  at  the  King's  Arms  Hotel,  Folke- 
stone, of  the  Countess  of  Shropshire  and  the  Count  de 
Bellona,  from  Turin,  via  France.  You  may  imagine  I 
was  somewhat  astonished,  but  I  laid  the  paper  aside,  and 
should  perhaps  have  hardly  thought  of  the  circumstance 
again,  in  the  multiplicity  of  my  business  matters,  had  I 
not,  about  a  fortnight  afterwards,  received  a  note  from  the 
countess,  requesting  to  see  me  at  Morley's  Hotel  on  busi- 
ness of  importance.  Of  course  I  was  punctual  in  attend- 
ance— I  always  am  punctual  in  business  matters — and  I 
was  closeted  with  her  ladyship  for  a  considerable  time. 
She  looked  actually  younger  than  ever,  and  you  know 
when  I  first  saw  her  she  was  not  really  young,  though  she 
looked  so,  and  was  in  much  more  cheerful  spirits  than  I 
had  ever  expected  to  see  her.  And  what  do  you  think 
was  the  business  on  which  I  was  wanted  ?  Nothing  less 
than  to  arrange  certain  matters  respecting  some  fiefs  on 
the  Alton  Castle  estates  prior  to  her  ladyship's  marriage. 
She  was  very  friendly,  very  chatty,  and  quite  confiden- 
tial. She  told  me  that  she  had  given  up  all  idea  of  en- 
tering a  convent  since  the  death  of  her  aunt,  which  had 
occurred  shortly  after  her  arrival  at  Turin  ;  that  she  had 
consulted  with  the  good,  venerable  Father  Anselmo  re- 
specting the  change  in  her  situation,  and  he  had,  strange 
to  say,  (at  least  so  it  appeared  to  me,)  encouraged  her  to 
follow  the  new  bent  of  her  inclinations.  In  fact,  her 
ladyship  blushed  and  simpered  a  little,  and  then  told  me 
she  was  engaged  to  be  married  to  the  Count  de  Bellona, 
and  she  concluded  by  asking  me  my  opinion  upon  the 
matter,  and  whether  I  thought  she  was  doing  wrong  or 
violating  the  constancy  of  her  affection  to  the  memory  of 
her  deceased  boy-lover,  Herbert.  I  told  her  ladyship 
plainly,  that  I  thought  she  was  about  to  act  like  a  sensi- 
ble woman,  and  that  I  considered  she  had  brooded  quite 
long  enough  over  the  memory  of  one  who  had  for  years 
been  in  the  grave,  and  whose  love  when  living  had  been 
given  to  another.  About  three  months  after  this  con- 
versation, no  little  excitement  was  occasioned  among  the 


360  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

London  fashionables,  by  the  appearance,  in  the  columns 
of  the  Morning  Post — that  staid  and  venerable  record  of 
fashionable  occurrences — headed — 

MARRIAGE  ix  HIGH  LIFE  AT  PARIS.— We  learn  from 
Galignani's  Messenger,  that  a  marriage  took  place  at 
Paris,  on  Monday,  the  10th  inst.,  which  will  create  some 
stir  a^d  no  little  astonishment  in  fashionable  circles,  not 
only  in  England,  but  throughout  the  Continent.  On  the 
day  above  mentioned  was  married  at  VEglise  de  V As- 
sumption, by  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  Mary,  Countess 
of  Shropshire,  daughter  and  heiress  of  the  late  Earl  of 
Shropshire,  to  Ludovico,  Count  de  Bellona,  and  Colonel 
of  the  Papal  Guards  ;  both  the  fair  bride  and  the  happy 
bridegroom  are  in  the  wane  of  life,  although  both  are 
still  in  the  possession  of  perfect  health,  and  the  bride 
especially,  still  has  the  appearance  of  a  young  and 
beautiful  woman.  The  noble  and  gallant  count  has  been 
distinguished  in  his  military  career,  and  is  a  remarkably 
handsome  man.  He  is  said  to  possess  large  estates  in 
Tuscany." 

Then  followed  a  description  of  the  dress  worn  by  the 
bride  on  the  interesting  occasion,  and  a  great  deal  of 
stuff  which  I  don't  recollect ;  indeed,  I  don't  know  that 
the  paragraph  ran  exactly  as  I  have  worded  it,  but  it 
was  something  to  the  same  purpose,  and  it  ended  by 
saying  that  the  happy  pair  had  left  Paris  for  Florence 
immediately  after  the  nuptial  knot  .was  tied. 

"  And  has  the  countess  completely  forgotten  Alton 
Castle?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  no,"  replied  Mr.  Hughes,  "she  was  there  with 
her  husband  about  three  months  since,  and  Georgiami 
was  down  at  the  castle  on  a  visit." 

"  Well,  there  are  singular  romances  in  real  life,"  was 
my  rejoinder. 

"  Strange,  indeed,"  replied  Mr.  Hughes.  "  I  believe 
it  is  their  intention,"  he  added,  "  to  reside  a  portion  of 
the  year  in  Tuscany  and  a  portion  in  England." 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  361 

"  And  what  is  Lord  Fitzherbert  doing?''  1  asked. 

"Lounging  about  town,  as  usual.  Dozing  away  his 
leisure  hours  at  his  rooms  in  the  Albany,  and  appearing 
upon  parade  with  his  regiment  when  he  is  obliged  to  do 
so.  Over  head  and  ears  in  debt,  and  still  fancying  him- 
self a  young  man  and  an  Adonis,  although  he  must  be 
close  bordering  on  fifty  years  of  age." 

'•  And  our  worthy  opponents,  Messrs.  Gripes  and 
Cheatem,  what  has  become  of  them  ?" 

"  Gripes  is  still  living  in  London,  and  practising  his 
profession.  I  learnt  enough,  after  you  were  gone 
abroad,  to  have  sent  him  and  his  scoundrelly  coadjutor 
to  a  penal  settlement  for  life,  but  rny  promi.se  to  the 
earl  on  his  death-bed,  and  a  fear  of  hurting  the  feelings 
of  p')or  Lady  Mary,  who  \vas  really  innocent  of  any 
participation  in  their  schemes,  and  truly  noble  in  her 
conduct,  kept  me  from  taking  any  action  in  the  matter, 
the  more  especially  as  I  was  sure  they  could  not  have  it 
in  their  power  to  inflict  further  injury  on  my  clients 
here.  As  to  Cheatem,  I  suppose  Gripes  got  frightened 
at  the  idea  of  allowing  him  to  remain  in  England  after 
what  had  occurred ;  and  he  knew  quite  enough  of 
Cheatem,  and  had  him  quite  enough  in  his  power  to 
compel  him  to  quit  the  country  when  he  pleased ; 'so 
he  procured  him  some  inferior  government  situation  in 
Australia,  and  there  he  is  now — the  scoundrel,  lie  ought 
to  be  there,  it  is  true;  but  it  should  be  in  chains,  as  a 
convict,  instead  of  holding  an  official  position,  however 
humble." 

"  And  those  shadows  of  our  young  friends  here,  the 
soi  disant  Fitzherberts,  where  are  they  ?  Singular  resem- 
blance! was  it  not?" 

"  Yes ;  but  I  have  been  told  there  was  some  reason 
for  it.  They  are  said  to  be  the  illegitimate  children  of 
Lord  Henry  Fitzherbert,  and  their  mother  is  reported 
to  have  been  a  strolling  player.  It  is  said  that  Lord 
Henry  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  his  half-brother, 
Herbert,  when  he  was  a  young  man.  So  you  see  they 
were,  after  all,  really  entitled  to  the  name  of  Fitzher- 


862  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;  OR, 

bert,  at  least  in  a  certain  sense.  The  young  man  became 
so  importunate  that  he  alarmed  Gripes,  who  at  length 
furnished  him  with  funds,  and  sent  him  to  the  United 
States,  compelling  him  to  sign  a  paper,  resigning  forever 
the  name  of  Fitzherbert  on  the  part  of  himself  and  his 
sister,  and  disclaiming  any  knowledge  of  the  transaction 
in  which  they  bore  so  prominent  a  part.  Poor  things  ! 
they  Avere  not  so  much  to  blame,  after  all ;  and  I  hear 
they  are  doing  well  in  America." 

In  such  conversation  as  this,  the  evening  passed 
rapidly  away,  and,  having  remained  a  few  days  with  my 
friends,  1  bid  them  farewell,  and  left  London  for  Liver- 
pool, whence  I  took  passage  to  New  York,  and  arrived 
there  in  safety  some  three  weeks  afterwards.  What 
further  relates  to  the  young  people  in  whom  I  took  so 
great  an  interest,  I  learnt  from  themselves  and  Mr. 
Hughes  by  letter ;  and  I  arn  happy  to  say  that  in  the 
following  and  concluding  chapter  of  my  narrative,  the 
reader  who  has  followed  me  through  the  story  will 
learn  that  eventually  the  young  people  succeeded  to 
the  property  that  should  have  been  inherited  by  their 
father. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Conclusion. 

As  I  intimated  in  the  foregoing  chapter,  I  heard  very 
often  from  my  English  friends,  who,  among  them,  kept 
me  thoroughly  posted  up  in  all  that  was  going  forward 
within  the  limits  of  their  little  circle. 

In  due  time,  Adolphus  completed  his  term  of  legal 
stud)',  and  was  called  to  the  bar.  This  occurred  about 
three  years  after  I  returned  from  England,  and  through 
the  iulluence  of  Mr.  Hughes  with  Mr.  Ferrit,  and  other 
eminent  solicitors,  he  soon  got  out  of  the  category  of 
"briefless  barristers,"  and  obtained  a  respectable  and 
amply  remunerative,  if  not  a  very  lucrative  practice. 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  363 

His  letters  to  me  were  earnest  in  expressions  of  grati- 
tude for  my  kindness  and  for  the  interest  I  had  taken  in 
himself  and  his  sister  when  they  were  friendless  and 
unknown  in  the  United  States,  but  he  seldom  alluded 
to  the  case  in  Chancery,  and  when  he  did  so,  he  seemed 
to  view  the  prospect  of  eventually  obtaining  possession 
of  the  estates,  much  in  the  light  of  a  lottery.  If  he 
gained  the  prize,  so  much  the  better ;  if  not,  he  trusted 
that  by  his  own  talents  and  exertions  he  would,  in  course 
of  time,  work  his  own  way  to  eminence  and  wealth.  I 
heard  from  Mr.  Hughes  that  he  studied  intensely,  and 
that  there  was  certainly  every  rational  prospect  to  be- 
lieve that  in  due  season  he  would  reap  the  reward  of  his 
unwearied  and  indefatigable  application;  but  Mr.  Hughes 
also  told  me  that,  although  he  rarely  mentioned  the  sub- 
ject to  Adolphus  or  his  sister,  he  felt  confident  that  the 
time  was  drawing  near  when  the  decision  of  the  Court 
of  Chancery  would  be  given  in  their  favor.  He  (Mr. 
Hughes)  was  most  earnest  and  unfaltering  in  his  en- 
deavors in  their  behalf,  so  much  so,  that  the  Masters 
in  Chancery  were  growing  wearied  with  his  incessant 
applications  to  them,  and  for  the  sake  of  peace  and 
quietness,  every  officer  of  that  quiet-loving,  indolent 
court  would  be  most  happy  to  get  quit  of  the  suit  as 
soon  as  possible. 

In  my  letters  to  Adolphus,  I  frequently  made  jocular 
allusions  regarding  his  approaching  marriage  with  his 
cousin  Juliet,  but  he  generally  replied,  that  he  must 
secure  the  means  of  independence  before  he  thought  of 
marriaga 

Kobert  Stanton,  who  had  commenced  his  study  of  the 
law  at  the  same  time  with  Adolphus,  was  also  called  to 
the  bar  very  shortly  after  young  Fitzherbert  donned  the 
wig  and  gown,  and  having  a  good  connection,  he  like- 
wise was,  in  a  very  short  time,  doing  well.  Mr.  Hughes 
wrote  me,  in  one  of  his  letters,  that  Kobert  had  made 
£400  in  the  first  year  of  his  practice,  and  as  his  prospects 
were  still  more  flattering  ibr  the  ensuing  year,  he  had 
urged  upon  Georgiana  the  fulfillment  of  her  promise, 


364  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

that  with  her  brother's  consent,  as  soon  as  Robert  was 
well  started  on  the  road  to  fame  and  fortune,  she  would 
give  him  her  hand — her  heart  had  long  been  given — 
and  become  the  partner  of  his  joys  and  sorrows  through- 
out life.  No  objection  could  be  made  by  Adolphus, 
and  shortly  afterwards  Robert  Stanton  and  Georgiana 
were  married.  In  writing  me  the  particulars  of  the 
marriage  of  Georgiana,  Mr.  Hughes  spoke  of  the  matri- 
monial prospects  of  Adolphus.  He  and  his  cousin 
Juliet  were  formally  engaged,  but  the  period  at  which 
their  union  was  to  be  solemnized  had  not  been  fixed. 
Had  it  not  been  that  Juliet  was  the  possessor  of  an  in- 
dependent fortune,  Mr.  Hughes  said  he  believed  that 
Adolphus  would  have  urged  his  cousin  to  name  the 
happy  daj*  as  soon  as,  after  having  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  he  saw  a  prospect  of  gaining 
a  respectable  livelihood  from  it;  but  the  high-toned 
pride  of  Adolphus  was  so  strong  a  trait  in  his  character, 
that  he  could  not  endure  the  idea  of  marrying  a  wife  who 
was  the  possessor  of  an  independent  fortune,  while  he 
was  dependent  for  his  own  livelihood  upon  the  exercise 
of  his  industry  and  talents,  and  this  feeling  was  increased 
rather  than  diminished,  in  consequence  of  the  continued 
assertions  of  Juliet,  that  she  should  always  consider 
that  she  only  held  the  estates  she  possessed  in  Virginia 
in  trust,  and  that  she  considered  he  was  the  rightful 
heir.  The  lovers  always  had  a  pretty  little  quarrel 
whenever  they  discussed  this  subject,  which,  however, 
was  usually  made  up  the  same  evening,  before  they 
parted  from  each  other.  ^ 

About  eighteen  months  after  Adolphus  had  com- 
menced his  career  as  a  barrister,  Juliet  returned  to 
the  United  States  with  her  aunt,  and  she  had  not  reached 
her  Virginia  home  more  than  a  week  before  her  cousin 
George  made  her  a  formal  offer  of  marriage,  but  she 
politely  refused  his  suit,  greatly  to  his  astonishment,  as 
well  as  that  of  his  father,  for  the  old  gentleman  had 
considered  the  ultimate  union  of  his  son  and  his  ward 
as  a  matter  of  certainty.  They  were  both  a  little  chag- 


TITE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  365 

rined  at  first,  and  George  talked  of  going  to  sea  in  a 
whaler,  and  getting  drowned,  or  swallowed  by  a  whale, 
or  else  of  joining  some  desperate  expedition  against  the 
Indians  in  Texas,  in  which  he  was  sure  to  get  scalped; 
but,  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  he  recovered  his  com- 
posure, and  six  months  afterwards  married  a  young 
lady  from  New  England,  who  had  gone  on  a  visit  to 
the  South,  and  he  is  now  a  very  contented  and  happy 
husband,  and  the  father  of  a  fine  little  fellow  of  two 
years  old,  whom  his  mother  declares  to  be  the  very 
image  of  his  father,  and  so  George  appears  to  think 
himself,  for  he  always  introduces  his  visitors  to  his  hope- 
ful heir,  with  the  remark  that  he  can  himself  see  the 
strong  resemblance  between  his  own  hazel  eyes  and  his 
son's  blue  ones ;  and  he  has  no  doubt,  in  time,  that  the 
little  nez  retrousse  will  get  a  bridge  upon  it  as  aquiline  in 
form  as  his  own  decidedly  Ho  man  nose;  and  as  to  his 
boy's  hair,  which  is  of  a  light  flaxen  color,  he  says  that 
his  mother  has  a  lock  of  his  own  hair,  which  was  clip- 
ped off  when  he  was  about  his  son's  age,  which  is  as 
yellow  as  gold,  although  now  his  hair  is  nearly  black. 

Four  years  more  passed  away  without  anything 
having  occurred,  during  that  long  period  to  look  for- 
ward to,  but  short  period  of  retrospect,  excepting 
that  during  those  years  Georgiana  had  presented  her 
liusband  with  a  son  and  a  daughter;  and  Adolphus, 
who  was  extremely  fond  of  his  little  nephew  and  niece, 
and  was  never  weary  of  fondling  and  romping  with  them 
during  his  leisure  hours,  at  length  began  to  think  that 
it  would  be  still  more  agreeable  if  he  had  a  little  house- 
hold pet  or  two  of  his  own  to  toss  and  tumble  about, 
and  to  pull  his  hair,  and.  smear  his  clothes  with  bread 
and  butter  and  candy,  lie  began  to  find  his  bachelor 
apartments  extremely  lonesome,  for,  of  course,  on  com- 
mencing business,  he  had  taken  a  bachelor's  establish- 
ment of  his  own.  He  thought  a  wife  would  make  and 
pour  out  the  tea  a  good  deal  nicer  than  a  cross  old 
housekeeper,  and  that  the  solitary  chamber  where  he  sat 
of  an  evening  would  be  much  more  cheerful  if  the  spark- 


866  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;  OR, 

ling  black  eyes  of  his  cousin  Juliet  were  gazing  upon 
liirn,  instead  of  the  upturned  green  ones  of  the  old  gray 
cat,  which  lay  purring  at  his  feet;  and  that  the  music 
of  her  voice,  and  of  her  clear,  ringing,  silvery  laugh, 
would  be  far  more  agreeable  than  the  incessant  tick, 
tick,  of  the  French  clock  on  the  mantel-piece,  varied 
only  by  the  shrill  tone  of  the  hammer  as  it  struck  the 
hour. 

He  began  to  consider  whether,  after  all,  he  was  not  a 
great  fool  to  stand  on  such  a  ridiculous  punctilio  in  a 
matter  which  affected  his  life's  happiness,  as  the  ques- 
tion of  a  few  pounds  more  or  less  per  annum,  and  al- 
most wondered  at  the  constancy  of  his  fair  cousin  in  re- 
maining so  true  and  unwavering  in  her  attachment.  He 
mentally  cast  up  the  probable  amount  of  his  professional 
income  that  year,  and  found  that  it  was  likely  to  be  full 
£800,  add  to  this  the  hundred  pounds  he  received  as  his 
share  of  the  Rosehill  rents,  and  there  was  a  clear  £900, 
and  then  he  came  to  the  conclusion  at  once  to  write  to 
his  cousin — to  confess  that  he  had  been  a  proud,  con- 
ceited, stupid  fellow,  for  delaying  his  happiness  so  long, 
and  to  beg  her  as  soon  as  possible  to  put  an  end  to  his 
Robinson  Crusoe  sort  of  existence,  by  becoming  a  share- 
holder with  him  in  the  sovereignty  "  of  all  he  surveyed," 
for  he  believed  it  would  be  more  exciting  and  pleasur- 
able if  there  was  some  one  near  him  occasionally  "his 
right  to  dispute."  So  he  set  to  work  the  very  evening 
he  had  formed  this  determination,  and  wrote  and  dis- 
patched his  letter,  only  making  one  promise  in  his  own 
mind  as  a  salvo  to  his  wounded  conscience,  viz. :  that 
every  penny  of  the  rental  of  the  Virginia  estates'should 
be  settled  on  his  cousin  when  she  became  his  wife.  By 
the  mail  which  brought  the  letter  to  Miss  Hawthorne, 
there  arrived  one  from  Adolphusto  me,  informing  me  of 
the  desperate  resolution  at  which  he  had  arrived  at  last, 
and  begging  me  to  meet  his  aunt  and  cousin  at  New 
York,  (for  he  had  asked  his  aunt  to  accompany  Juliet 
to  England  on  the  interesting  occasion,)  and  to  render 
them  any  aid  that  might  he  necessary,  such  as  engaging 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  367 

their  passage  in  the  steamer,  seeingthem  safely  on  board, 
and  so  forth.  A  postscript  informed  that,  the  writer  was 
somewhat  doubtful  whether  he  had  managed  matters  pro- 
perly, and  whether  his  cousin  and  aunt  would  accept  the 
invitation.  "Indeed,"  he  added,  " he  was  not  sure  that 
it  was  quite  correct,  after  so  long  a  courtship,  to  ask  his 
cousin  to  come  to  England  for  the  purpose  of  being  mar- 
ried, and  he  had  a  strong  suspicion  that  it  would  have 
been  more  advisable,  if  he  could  have  visited  the  United 
States  on  the  auspicious  occasion,  and  there  got  the  in- 
dissoluble knot  properly  fastened  ;  considering  his  posi- 
tion, however,  as  a  young  barrister  who  had  still  to 
make  his  way  in  the  world,  this  was  impossible,  as  it 
would  in  fact  be  suicidal  to  his  future  professional 
prospects.  This  he  had  explained  to  his  aunt  and  cousin, 
and  he  hoped  that  when  they  came  to  take  matters  into 
consideration,  they  would  see  at  once,  and  acknowledge 
the  policy  of  his  conclusions." 

By  the  following  mail,  however,  a  batch  of  letters  ar- 
rived from  Mr.  Hughes,  Adolphus,  Greorgiana  and  her 
husband,  which  put  altogether  another  complexion  on 
the  prospects  of  Adolphus.  The  long  vexed  chancery 
suit  had  at  length  been  suddenly,  and  as  is  usual  in  such 
cases,  quite  at  an  unexpected  moment,  decided  in  favor 
of  the  Fitzherberts,  and  Adolphus  and  his  sister  were  in 
possession  of  the  wealth  and  estates  which  were  their 
birthright. 

The  letter  from  Adolphus  was  written  in  rather  an 
excited  tone.  It  appeared  that  after  he  had  set  his  mind 
upon  at  once  putting  a  termination  to  his  protracted 
courtship,  by  running  his  neck  into  the  noose  of  matri- 
mony, the  usual  doubts  and  fears  common  upon  such 
occasions,  which  had  never  troubled  his  mind  before, 
had  seized  upon  his  imagination.  The  more  he  had  re- 
flected upon  it,  the  more  fearful  he  had  become  of  offend- 
ing his  cousin  by  asking  her  to  visit  England  for  the  pur- 
pose of  being  married,  and  he  got  into  quite  a  fever  of 
anxiety  regarding  it. 

However,  a  few  days  after  he  had  sent  his  letter,  he 


368  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY  ;   OR, 

heard  the  good  news  of  the  decision  of  the  chancery  case, 
and  he  had  immediately  written  me  a  sensible  letter,  beg- 
ging me  to  see  his  cousin,  and  if  any  demur  should  aii-e 
about  the  propriety  of  her  obeying  his  wishes,  to  tell  her 
that  in  the  course  of  another  month ;  as  soon  as  ever,  in 
the  present  position  of  his  affairs,  he  could  po?sibh'  leave 
England,  he  would  come  to  the  United  States  in  [jr»pr<a 
persona,  and  marry  her,  and  take  her  back  t  >  England  as 
his  wife. 

Mrs.  Lyman  and  Juliet  were  in  New- York  when  I  re- 
ceived the  last  batch  of  letters,  for  they  had  immediately 
left  their  residence  in  Virginia  on  receipt  of  Adolphus' 
first  letter.  Mrs.  Lyrnan  was  glad  enough  of  another  op- 
portunity of  again  visiting  her  native  land;  and  Juliet 
— I  won't  say  whether  she  was  glad  or  not— although  I 
have  my  own  ideas  regarding  that  matter;  but  although 
she  professed  to  be  a  little  offended  at  the  dilatoriness  of 
her  lover,  and  put  on  a  few  maidenly  airs,  on  being  re- 
quested in  this  sultanlike  manner  ta  come  and  throw 
herself  at  the  feet  of  her  lord  and  master,  as  soon  as  ho 
thought  proper  to  call  upon  her  to  do  so,  she  was  a  girl 
of  sterling  good  sense  as  well  as  of  high  spirit,  and  she 
secretly  acknowledged  that  he  ought  not  to  quit  his 
practice,  and  therefore  as  he  could  not  come  to  America 
to  rnarry  her,  she  determined  to  fulfil  his  desires  and  go 
to  England  to  marry  him.  Besides,  she  loved  him  very 
much,  and  true  love  is  willing  to  make  all  manner  of 
excuses  in  favor  of  the  object  of  its  affections. 

The  ladies,  therefore,  as  I  have  said,  being  in  Xew 
York  at  the  moment,  and  only  waiting  the  sailing  of  the 
English  steamer,  I  showed  them  the  letter  written  bv 
Adolphus.  Of  course  they  were  very  glad  to  hear  of  his 
good  fortune,  although  I  don't  think  it  made  a  bit  of  dif- 
ference in  the  feelings  of  Juliet.  If  anything,  I  think  she 
would  rather  they  had  been  married  before  this  last 
stroke  of  good  fortune  had  arrived.  In  fact,  at  first,  on 
perusing  Adolphus'  letter,  I  fancied  that  Miss  Hawthorne 
seemed  half  inclined  to  mount  the  same  stilts  that  had 
so  long  deferred  the  marriage  on  the  part  of  Adolphus, 


THE   OIIP II AX'S.  WRONGS.  369 

and  in  her  turn  to  put  obstacles  in  the  way,  now  that  he 
was  placed  in  so  superior  a  position  to  herself  with  regard 
to  worldly  wealth ;  but  women  are  always  more  seiif-iole 
than  men  in  these  mutters,  -and  therefore  she  soon 
smiled  at  her  own  absurdity,  and  the  two  ladies  having 
laughed  together  over  the  perturbation  of  the  writer's 
mind,  evident  in  the  tone  and  wording  of  the  letter, 
determined  not  to  alter  their  arrangements,  but  to  pro- 
ceed at  once  to  England,  and  set  the  hoping,  doubting, 
fearing  lover's  heart  at  rest. 

A  day  or  two  after  the  receipt  of  these  letters,  they 
sailed,  and  after  the  usual  passage,  arrived  in  England, 
and  met  Adolphus  at  Liverpool,  anxiously  awaiting  die 
arrival  of  the  steamer,  for  half  hoping  still,  amidst  his 
doubts  and  fears  that  his  cousin  and  aunt  would  be  on 
board,  he  had  torn  himself  away  from  the  multiplicity 
of  business  matters  relative  to  the  estates  which  had  de- 
volved upon  him,  telling  Mr.  Hughes  that  he  must  posi- 
tively take  the  management  of  everything  into  his  own 
hands,  at  least  until  he  had  seen  or  heard  from  his 
cousin. 

Of  course  the  meeting  at  Liverpool  was  a  very  pleasing 
and  joyous  one-  on  all  hands,  and  the  happy  party  hur- 
ried up  to  London,  where,  a  fortnight  after,  Adolphus 
and  Juliet  were  married  at  Saint  Pancras  church. 

But  little  more  remains  to  be  told.  Shortly  after  the 
marriage  of  Adolphus,  he  and  his  sister,  with  Mr. 
Hughes,  visited  the  property  together,  leaving  Juliet 
under  the  care  of  Mr.  Stan  ton,  in  order  to  make  such  ar- 
rangements for  the  future  as  were  necessary  and  ad- 
visable ;  it  was  decided  to  erect  a  handsome  manor  house 
upon  the  most  eligible  site  ou  the  estates,  Adolphus 
having  determined  to  make  Huntingdonshire  his  coun- 
try residence,  and  indeed  his  chief  place  of  abode.  It 
was  the  first  time  that  the  brother  and  sister  had  seen 
the  estates;  for  while  they  were  not  sure  that  they  would 
ever  legally  belong  to  them,  they  had  thought  it  advi- 
sable not  to  build  up  hopes  that  might  never  be  realized 
by  viewing  and  coveting  the  possession  of  the  property. 


870  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

It  was  on  the  occasion  of  this  visit  that  they  were  first 
introduced  to  the  reader  in  the  preface  to  this  narrative, 
although  the  reporters,  as  is  too  often  the  case  with  the 
gentlemen  of  the  press  when  anxious  to  make  the  most 
of  an  item,  made  two  or  three  grave  errors ;  for  instance, 
when  Adolphus  and  his  sister  visited  Hemingford,  they 
were  not  visiting  in  the  character  of  "new  contestants," 
but  as  the  owners  of  the  property,  and  as  to  their  having 
"taken  their  departure  very  mysteriously,"  the  mystery 
existed  only  in  the  lively  imagination  of  the  reporter. 
And  as  the  most  beautiful  portion  of  the  estates,  and  the 
ground  most  adapted  for  the  site  of  the  proposed  mansion 
house,  was  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Hemingford 
Abbotts,  their  visit  was  made  the  occasion  of  great  re- 
joicing on  the  part  of  the  simple  and  honest  villagers ; 
the  church  bells  were  rung  merrily,  and  bonfires  were 
lighted  in  the  village,  and  when  the  party  arrived,  they 
found  a  large  number  of  the  village  lads  and  lasses  ar- 
rayed in  their  holiday  clothing,  accompanied  by  a  great 
many  of  the  village  elders,  marshalled  in  the  road,  who 
greeted  them  with  repeated  cheers  and  huzzas,  and  while 
the  young  folks  scattered  flowers  and  green  branches 
before  the  carriage,  the  elders  pressed  forward  in  the 
hope  of  getting  a  smile  or  a  nod,  or  word  of  kind  ac- 
knowledgment from  the  new  squire  and  his  sister.  I 
need  not  say  that  they  succeeded.  Adolphus  and  his 
sister  were  only  too  happy  to  thank  the  kindhearted  vil- 
lagers for  this  spontaneous  and  genial  welcome,  and  they 
secretly  determined  that  they,  on  their  part,  would  do  all 
in  their  power  to  render  them  happy,  and  to  improve 
their  condition.  I  don't  know  how  many  benevolent 
projects  were  talked  of  that  evening  after  they  had  re- 
turned to  the  hotel  in  Huntingdon.  Adolphus  was  to 
obtain  the  services  of  a  first-rate  model  farmer  from  Scot- 
land, in  order  to  afford  his  tenants  every  means  of  im- 
proving the  land  by  the  practice  of  the' most  scientific 
and  productive  methods  of  farming;  and  schools,  for 
both  adults  and  children,  were  to  be  establised  imme- 
diately under  the  especial  superintendence  of  Georgiaua; 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  371 

and  I  don't  know  what  was  to  be  done  besides ;  while 
good  Mr.  Hughes  entered  heartily  into  all  their  projects. 
At  all  event?,  if  the  place  had  heretofore,  in  consequence 
of  the  heterogeneous  method  of  its  cultivation,  borne 
more  the  aspect  of  a  wilderness  than  that  of  a  rich  range 
of  farms  in  a  highly  fertile  county,  they  determined  that 
henceforward 

"  The  wilderness  should  be  made  to  smile." 

There  was  the  usual  assemblage  of  village  gos- 
sippers  in  Dame  Harris's  cottage  at  Hemingford,  that 
evening,  and  loud  were  the  praises  of  a  new  squire  and 
lady. 

"  They  be  the  true  gentlevoalks,  at  last,  I  reckon," 
said  a  sturdy  villager.  "  What  say'st  thou,  Dame  Har- 
ris?" 

"  Eh,  lad  !"  replied  she  who  had  been  addressed,  "  I 
know'd  that  as  soon  as  I  clapped  eyes  upon  'ern.  There 
warn't  no  stuck  up  airs  about  them,  like  in  yon  other 
voalks,  as  was  down  here  ayant,  o'  years  gone  by. 
Didst  see  how  kind  t'  lady  smiled  and  nodded  her  head 
to  t'  old  voalks  when  they  pressed  up  to  t'  carriage  to 
wish  'em  joy  and  welcome?  and  they  do  say  as  how 
they  be  a-going  to  build  a  foine  house  and  live  down 
here,  i'  these  pairts.  I'm  roight  glad  that  my  old  eyes 
has  seen  'em ;  for  I  be  a  getting  old  now,  and  that  be 
the  truth." 

Such  conversation  as  this  was  going  on  in  the  village ; 
while  in  the  hotel  in  the  town,  those  whose  praises  the 
villagers  were  singing  were,  on  their  part,  already  study- 
ing what  they  could  do  to  benefit  the  tenantry  among 
whom  they  chiefly  intended  to  reside,  in  future.  It  was 
a  foreshadowing  of  mutual  good  feeling  on  the  part  of 
landlord  and  tenant,  and  of  a  mutual  consideration  of 
each  other's  interests,  which,  if  it  were  more  universal, 
would  forever  do  away  with  all  we  hear  of  bitter  feel- 
ing between  the  wealthier  and  the  poorer  classes.  The 
world  can  never  be  equalized  ;  such  an  idea  is  contrary 
to  every  law  of  nature,  animate  or  inanimate — contrary 


372  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY;   OR, 

to  the  will  of  Heaven,  hereafter ;  for  there  all  are  nor, 
and  will  not  be  equal.  "  In  my  father's  house  are  wa///// 
mansions,  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you,"  said  our 
Saviour  when  on  earth  ;  thereby  intimating  that  the 
place  prepared  for  each  would  be  suited  to  their  con- 
dition there.  Equality,  therefore,  cannot  be  essential  to, 
but  rather  detrimental  to  happiness,  for  all  will  be  happy 
in  Heaven,  although  some  will  enjoy  the  higher  favor 
of  a  place  at  God's  right  hand. 

How  monotonous  would  be  the  events  of  this  earth! 
to  what  a  condition  of  inanity  should  we  speedily  be 
reduced,  were  everything  in  nature  equalized  ? — every 
spur  to  industry,  every  incentive  to  achieve  honorable 
distinction,  would  speedily  become  dormant;  but,  tho- 
rough equality  cannot  be — the  wealthy  and  the  poor 
should  each  study  the  interests  of  the  other,  yet  there 
should  be  no  impassable  social  barrier — all  should  ac- 
knowledge their  mutual  dependence,  and  then,  were  this 
the  case,  mankind  would  cease  to  lament  the  unequal 
distribution  of  this  world's  goods. 

Mr.  Fitzherbert  and  Mrs.  Stanton  returned  to  London 
with  Mr.  Hughes  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  having 
previously  arranged  that  the  contemplated  improve- 
ments of  the  property  should  immediately  go  into  ope- 
ration, and  there  I  shall  leave  them,  wishing  them, 
henceforward,  all  the  happiness  and  prosperity  they 
deserve. 

A  clause  in  the  deed  of  gift  provided  that  each  and 
all  of  the  children  of  Herbert  Fitzherbert  should  share 
in  the  property  to  an  equal  degree,  after  his  decease, 
and  it  was  on  account  of  this  clause  that  it  was  necessary 
that  Adolphus  and  his  sister  should  jointly  sue  for  the 
possession. 

Thus,  Mrs.  Stanton  and  Mr.  Fitzherbert  found  them- 
selves the  possessors  of  ample  fortunes,  that  of  Adol- 
phus being  still  further  increased  by  the  American, 
property,  which  had  been  the  inheritance  of  Juliet. 
Of  course  they  both  gave  up  the  practice  of  the  law, 


THE  ORPHAN'S  WRONGS.  873 

although  neither  regretted  having  studied  the  profes- 
sion. 

Mr.  Hughes  was  formally  installed  as  the  law  agent 
of  both  gentlemen,  and  the  post,  as  he  had  formerly 
jocularly  asserted,  was  a  very  lucrative  one,  and  added 
considerably  to  his  already  ample  and  honorably  earned 
income. 

I  have  only,  in  concluding  my  narrative,  to  add  a  few 
words  relative  to  one  or  two  other  individuals  who  have 
figured  in  it,  and  my  task  is  ended. 

Sister  Maria,  who  had  acted  so  generously  to  Geor- 
giana,  was  sadly  persecuted  on  account  of  the  part  she 
had  played  in  effecting  her  escape,  which,  somehow  or 
other,  became  known  to  her  superiors,  and  at  length, 
on  hearing  of  the  good  fortune  of  the  brother  and  sister, 
she  fled  to  England.  She  had  some  time  before  abjured 
the  Catholic  faith,  and  was  immediately  installed  as 
housekeeper  in  Mr.  Stanton's  family. 

The  Countess  of  Tivoli — late  Abbess  of  St.  Euphemia, 
as  I  have  heretofore  stated — died  shortly  after  the  para- 
lytic seizure  I  have  spoken  of.  Her  last  moments  were- 
soothed  by  her  beloved  niece,  Lady  Mary,  now  Countess 
of  l>ellona.  Lady  Mary  still  passes  a  great  deal  of  her  time 
in  England,  and  her  friendship  for  Georgians  continues 
unabated. 

Jacob,  I  believe,  still  continues  to  lend  money  to 
Christians  in  distress,  but  is  more  than  ever  careful  of 
the  "  sccuritish."  As  to  old  Mordecai,  he  died  in  his 
office,  seated  in  the  very  spot  where  he  has  more  than 
<>iie<;  been  introduced  to  the  reader.  He  had  become 
fairly  worn  out  with  old  age  ;  driveling  in  second  child- 
hood, and  lending  money  on  security,  in  imagination,  to 
the  very  last  hour  of  his  long  spun  out  and  sordid  life. 

Father  Anselmo  is  now  very  aged  and  infirm,  but  the 
good  old  man  still  remains  at  Alton  Castle,  strict  in  the 
performance  of  his  religious  duties,  and  he  is  loved  and 
respected  by  everybody  in  the  neighborhood.  Mr. 
Hurley,  the  agent  who  acted  for  Gripes  and  Cheatem  in 
Philadelphia,  as  recorded  at  the  commencement  of  this 


374  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY. 

narrative,  was  recently  convicted  of  forgery  and  trans- 
ported for  life.  Poor  Wilkins,  the  man  of  all  work  for 
the  rascal  Cheatem,  was  taken  in  hand  by  Mr.  Hughes, 
after  Cheatem  had  left  England,  he  studied  for  an  attor- 
ney, and  succeeded  to  all  Cheatem's  honest  legal  practice, 
and  a  good  deal  more  besides,  while  he  refused  to  hold 
any  further  communication  with  Gripes.  He  is  doing 
well,  and  only  laments,  poor  fellow !  that  his  wife  is 
not  living  to  share  in  his  prosperity  as  she  did  in  his 
adversity.  Gripes  died  of  apoplexy  about  two  years 
ago.  He  had  accumulated  a  large  fortune,  and  despite 
his  evil  life,  the  tombstone  erected  over  his  remains 
tells  the  passer  by  of  the  many  virtues  of  him  whose 
bones  lie  mouldering  beneath.  Perhaps  it  is  all  the 
worse  for  him  that  his  evil  deeds  were  not  visited  with 
just  punishment  in  this  life;  but  as  I  have  said,  we  should 
not  judge  our  fellow  man  after  death,  and  I  will,  there- 
fore, forbear  to  do  so. 

And  now,  my  readers,  you  who  have  followed  me 
patiently  through  from  the  commencement  of  my  nar- 
rative, to  the  end,  I  bid  you,  one  and  all,  farewell,  trust- 
ing that  you  will  look  with  a  lenient  eye  upon  the  many 
blemishes  and  demerits  of  my  tale,  and  still  hoping 
that  you  have  received  as  much  pleasure  in  reading  as 
I  have  in  inditing  THE  LAWYER'S  STORY. 


THE  END. 


GREATEST  ROMANCES  OF  MODERN  DAYS! 


Superior  to  "Valrntiiic  Vox."     (Complete.) 

THE     SZSTERS; 

OR, 

THE      FATAL      MAEBIAGES, 

BY  HENRY  COCKTON, 

AUTHOR  OF  "  VALENTINE  VOX,"  "  THE  STEWARD,"  "  SYLVESTER  SOUND,"  ETC. 
ILLUSTRATED     FROM    THE     ENGLISH     EDITION. 

The  evils  of  an  ill-assorted  marriage  are  so  truthfully  and  strikingly  depicted  in  this 
work,  that  it  cannot  fai!  to  exercise  a  beneficial  influence  upon  society.  At  the  same  time, 
the  book  is  written  with  every  excellency  of  style,  all  that  simplicity,  and  beauty  of  dic- 
tion, and  interest  of  plot  and  narrative  which  peculiarly  distinguishes  Mr  Cockton. — Lon- 
don Morning  Post. 

The  author  of"  Valentine  Vox"  has  fairly  eclipsed  himself  In  the  present  work.— JVeto 
Monthly. 

We  are  always  delighted  with  Cockton's  writings;  they  dress  useful  truths  in  such  en- 
chantment, that  we  cherish  their  good  and  wholesome  influences  as  food  congenial  to  the 
soul.  His  present  work,  "  The  Sisters,"  is  not  excelled  by  any  previous  effort—  Exami- 
ner. Price  50  cents. 


A  KOMANCE   OF  EEAL  LIFE. 

BY  HENRY  COCKTON, 
AUTHOR  OF  "SYLVESTER  SOUND,"  "VALENTINE  vox,"  "THE  SISTERS,"  ETC. 

ILLUSTRATED     FROM    THE     ENGLISH     EDITION. 

THS  STEWARD.— This  is  a  most  fascinating  work,  a  vivid  and  truthful  picture  of  real 
life,  told  in  a  style  of  simplicity  and  pathos  worthy  of  Oliver  Goldsmith. — JJttieuitum. 

We  became  intensely  interested  in  this  novel,  which  in  style,  and  somewhat  in  incident 
and  narrative,  reminded  us  strongly  of  the  Vickar  of  Wukefield.  The  characters  are 
drawn  with  artistic  skill  so  perfect,  that  they  at  once  enlist  our  feelings  as  if  in  real  life. 
How  we  despise  the  hypocrite  George;  what  loathing  his  deep  villany  inspires  !  How 
we  admire  the  noble,  true-hearted  old  Sir  John,  the  manly,  generous,  gay-spirited  Charles ; 
and  how  we  love  gentle  Mrs.  Wardle,  and  the  sweet  confiding  Juliana.  In  truth,  it  is  a 
most  refreshing  book — an  oasis  in  the  literature  of  the  day. — Lon.  Quarterly.  Price  SOcts 

KENNETH: 

A   KOMANCE    OF    THE    HIGHLANDS. 

BY  G.  W.  M.  REYNOLDS, 

AUTHOR  OF  "  MYSTERIES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  NAPLES,"  "  COURT  OF  LONDON,"  ETC. 
WITH     NUMEROUS    ENGRAVINGS. 

There  has  never  been  a  more  successful  laborer  in  the  fruitful  field  of  Scottish  Ro- 
mance, than  our  author.  The  wild  and  fearful  superstitions  of  the  Highlands  are  depicted 
with  terrible  force,  yet  clothed  in  all  the  fascination  and  attractiveness  of  Reynolds'  un- 
rivalled style. — Spectator. 

The  Legends  of  Scotland  have  never  found  a  more  powerful  delineator  than  our  author ; 
and  "Kenneth,"  which  in  style  is  worthy  of  "Sir  Walter  Scott,"  and  In  incident  and  in- 
terest rivals  the  celebrated  "  Scottish  Chiefs,"  will  take  first  rank  in  the  library  of  Scottish 
romance. —  Weekly  Times.  Price  75  cents. 

H.  LONG  A  BROTHER, 

4     Aim-street,  New  York. 


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IVEtV  BOOKS   U'OlVni 


A  GOOD  LAUGH  AT  YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPERS 
THE 

GREATEST  PLA6DE  OF  LIFE; 

Or,  The  Adventures  of  a  Lady  in  Search  of  a  Good  Servant. 

BY  ONE  WHO  HAS  BEEN  "  ALMOST  WORRIED  TO  DEATH." 

NOTICES  FROM  THE  ENGLISH  PRESS. 

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Literary  Gazttte. 

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— Limilun  Herald. 

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A  COMPANION  TO  CHARLES  O'MALLEY. 

FRANK  FAIRLEGH; 

OR,  SCENES  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  A  PRIVATE  PUPIL. 

With  Numerous  Illu«tr:ilioii«. 

BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  LEWIS  ARUNDEL;  OR,  THE  RAILROAD  OF  LIFE. 

"  There  is  no  writer  of  fiction  since  Sir  Walter  Scott,  who  has  so  well  deserved  popularity  as  the  notnor  of  this 
story.  There  is  none  of  the  elaborate  peniiy.a-lining  of  Dickens,  thu  straining  for  jokes  of  Albert  Smith,  or  th« 
outre  situations  of  Angelo  T itmarsh,  but  a  narrative  that  wins  from  its  easy  truthfulness,  and  excites  the  most  plea- 
surable sensations  from  its  rich  rucinesa ;  while  there  is  an  under  current  of  sound  morality  which  commends  it  to 
the  virtuous." — London  Quarterly* 

"  This  is  one  of  the  best  stories  of  its  kind  we  ever  remember  to  have  read.  True  to  the  life,  and  abounding  with 
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"  The  truthful  and  exciting  sketches  of  the  abuses  tolerated  in  our  seminaries,  both  public  and  private,  can- 
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Copperjitld.  Cruikshank's  illustrations  are  capital." — London  limes. 

Price  6O  Cents. 

LEWIS  ARUNDEL ; 

OR,    THE    RAILROAD    OF   LIFE. 

With  Numerous  Illustration*. 

BT   THE    AUTHOR    OF    "FRANK    FAJRLEGH." 

This  is  a  daguerreotype  view  of  life,  taken  in  all  its  phases,  so  faithful  and  true  as  to  startle  us  with  "  the  counter- 
feit semblance." — London  Literary  Gazette. 

This  is  truly  a  great  romance  1  The  author  of  "  Frank  Fsirlegh,"  it  hich  b.is  had  an  unprecedented  sale  among 
modem  novefs,  has,  in  the  present  work,  given  us  a  master-p-oce,  the  glowu^;  »nd  life-like  features  of  which  wifl 
be  recognized  as  presenting  one  of  the  finest  pictures  of  society  extant. — LM^UH  Court  Journal. 

Price  5O  Cents. 


WINDSOR  CASTLE. 

WITH  EIGHT  SPLENDID  ENGRAVINGS. 

FROM  THE  LONDON  EDITION. 

This  quaint  goblin  story  has  Interested  ns  much.  The  author  handles  the  subject  of  Ghouls  and  Ghosts  with  such 
truthful  skill  as  almost  to  convince  us  of  the  reality  of  the  apparitions.  His  characters  from  real  life  are  finely  drawn, 
and  the  plot  full  of  deep  and  thrilling  interest ;  in  fact  it  is  just  the  book  to  delight  your  genuine  lover  of  romance. 
— London  Obiener. 

Price  SO  Cents. 

H.  LONG  &  BROTHER, 

43  AMU  Street,  JVew  York. 


3  1158  004273446 


A     000  131  285     9 


